Back FROM the Future!
by Narnian at Heart
Summary: A mouthy history buff and her monstrous companion find their selves in Narnia. While there she finds a connection between Narnia and her favorite era of her own history that will change her life forever. T for safety. Edmund/OC
1. Dragged By A Dane

**Alright, so I started this one a while back and then when I re-read it, I realized that this is one of those stories that might not be appreciated by some people because of the time difference. But hey, Narnian time IS different than ours so time travel is definitely possible. My character is NOT a MarySue (Yes, her name is unusual but it's in the Bible, spelled slightly different) and I will try my darndest to maintain character accuracy. Acceptable? Ok good!**

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"Nakoda!"

I groaned as the high pitched yell of my little brother flooded my sensitive and sleepy ears. I pulled the covers over my head and grumbled, determined not to give him the satisfaction of knowing how annoying he was.

"Koda! Koda! Koda!" that voice repeated as he launched his small body onto my bed and began jumping.

I sat up quickly and he fell on his rump by my feet, eyes wide.

"Mommy said to wake you up. You're suppose to walk Leroy!"

I groaned loudly, but I climbed out of bed and pushed my brother out my door so I could get dressed.

I looked in the mirror at my reflection. Nothing special really… my shaggy mane of light brown hair fell just past my shoulders, my normal blue eyes stared out from under the bangs that hung down in them, and my pale cheek had a red blotch on it from being squished into my pillow all night. With a sigh I ran a brush through my hair, put on a bit of lipgloss and then threw on my old World War II war jacket. It was special to me although I had no idea why. I was a history buff to be sure and I had bought this jacket at the Army Surplus Store, but the name on it meant nothing to me. Pevensie.

Shrugging my thoughts aside, I grabbed the leash off my dresser and headed down the stairs. I was almost knocked off my feet when a huge, barking mound of pure muscle barreled into me. Leroy, my Great Dane, licked my entire face with his huge, slobbery tongue and I laughed. He was a good dog.

His big tawny eyes saw the leash and his monstrous tail began to waggle back and forth, knocking over the umbrella stand by the door. I laughed and clipped it to his collar and he patiently waited for the door to open.

Walking Leroy was normally my favorite thing to do, but one look at the weather and my spirits fell. Rain was pouring from the dark grey sky overhead and the trees waved in the strong gusts of wind. With a sigh I let Leroy lead me down the driveway.

I was soaked through before long and I was getting tired of this fruitless walk. Leroy was too busy marking every hydrant, mailbox, trashcan, or lamp post that happened to be in his path to even take care of the business I brought him out to do.

"C'mon, Leroy…poop already!" I whined as he lifted his leg for the fiftieth time, he stop mid lift and looked at me funny.

Then Leroy did something he hadn't done since he was a puppy…he took off.

I yelped as my arm was jerked painfully and I lost my footing. I was being helplessly dragged behind my giant dog, yelling at him to stop and making all kinds of threats to his life but he didn't waver. His big feet just pounded over the pavement, grass, and gravel and my poor body was dragged right along with him. I refused to let go of the leash, this dog was far too important to me!

I was scrapped and sore but I kept a firm grip on the leash. But then I saw what was coming up…a very deep ditch (if I wanted to be overdramatic I would say a small ravine) that was notorious for the huge piles of shattered beer bottles and assorted junk at the bottom. Leroy was headed full on for it.

"Oh my God…" I though, horror filling my brain. If Leroy went over that edge we were both going to be cut to pieces by all that glass!

I blacked out, probably from a mixture of pain and fright.

I woke to the sound of hoofbeats very close to my head. When I opened my eyes I didn't see anything but white. _I must be in Heaven_ I thought faintly.

"Peter! Look! It's a girl!" it was a female voice, sounding like it was off in the distance…or maybe it was right next to me…heck, I don't know. Ouch. My head. Suddenly, a face came into my vision. Big blue eyes stared at me with concern from under a mop of blonde hair. I liked that face immediately. _I really must be in Heaven!_

"Are you alright?" the beautiful face asked.

I wanted to speak, I really did, but all that came out of my dry throat was "Ugh…"

I felt warm, strong arms slip under my shoulders and knees as I was lifted effortlessly off the ground (which, to me, seemed like a miracle in its self!) and blackness flooded my vision again as I passed back into the black of oblivion.

_Mmmmmm, comfy…wait…_

I sat up. I sat up a little too fast. I groaned loudly and my hands flew up to my throbbing head as the blood left my brain for a second.

"Whoa there, take it easy!" a concerned voice said quickly, I felt hands grip my shoulder as I swayed to the side.

"Ugh…what happened?" I mumbled, amazed that I actually made a sentence.

"You appear to have been injured, my lady." said the voice. It was small sounding and musical.

"Yeah, my stupid mutt of a dog dragged me halfway across town…" I said, taking my hand away from my head. "I hope he's…OH MY GOD!"

I had finally gathered my wits and my vision had focused. I looked over to give the voice a face but was met with something absolutely impossible…a person with…goat legs?

"What ARE you!"

The creature laughed, it sounded slightly like a goat would bleat. Odd.

"I'm a faun, my lady. Arimus is my name. I was told to tend to you until you awoke."

My jaw dropped open stupidly as my eyes bugged a little.

"But…but…fauns don't REALLY exist! I mean…oh, I must still be dreaming…"

Arimus only smiled and shook her head. I noticed small horns protruding from her curly red hair.

I was about to say something about them, but the sound a throat being cleared and a knock on the doorpost made me look around her to the entrance of the large room I was in. My stomach flipped when I saw the person who stood there, nonchalantly leaning on the doorframe. The first thing I noticed was the hair, thick, wavy and black as night. I found myself wishing I could feel it…crazy, but true. Then my eyes began to take in all of him. His pale skin, strong jaw, natural pouted lips, firmly muscled torso…I must be in Heaven because no one on Earth could possibly look that perfect.

"How is she, Arimus?" the dark angel asked, striding over to the bed. He and the goat lady talked for a moment about my condition and then he turned to look at me. I nearly passed out again as I finally got a look into those eyes. Dark chocolate and sparkling with a mischief within, they seemed to read my very soul. "Hello."

"Hey." I squeaked. _Hey? Really, Nakoda?_

"My name is Edmund, I'm suppose to bring you down to dinner."

"Oh, don't let him fool you, young lady!" Arimus said with a giggle. "This is KING Edmund. Edmund the Just of Narnia, Duke of Lantern Waste, Count of the Western March, Knight of the Noble Order of the Table!"

My eyes felt like they were going to pop out of my head! A KING? Standing right in front of me? Asking how I felt? And who knew kings were this young and good looking?

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**Ok so there's chapter one! Let me know what you think and I'll get started on the next chapter right away!**


	2. I Feel Frumpy

**Yeah for positive feedback :D**

**I guess I'll get this fic off the ground then. Chai tea? Check. Good Music? Check. Pajamas? Check. Perfect writing atmosphere? Check. **

**Dang, out of tea. Gotta make more! Be right back!**

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I felt SO out of place as I looked around the table. The dark haired boy, Edmund, and the blonde, agel-faced boy I had seen before I passed out were dressed in some clothes I would attribute to a Robin Hoodish time period, complete with tights and calfskin boots. The two girls who I had never seen were both in beautiful dresses of the same time period, intricate designs worked delicately into the cuffs and bosoms of both. I wore my holey jeans, my Converse high tops and a t-shirt that had a cow on it saying to a milk carton "Milk, I am your father". And I could see that they were all reading it with confused faces.

I glanced around the room, the silence making me feel like I was chewing extra loud. I swallowed a mouthful of half chewed food to halt what I thought must be boisterous chomping and regretted it when it stretched out my esophagus on its way down. I made a "Gahhhg" noise and they all cocked their eyebrows at me.

"Are you alright?" asked the older girl, setting down her fork like she was going to come over and give me the Heimlich. I assured her I was with a rather unconvincingly gravelly voice as I held onto my throat.

I heard someone snort with laughter and everyone looked at Edmund with shock.

"Sorry," he mumbled, focusing his eyes on his plate, but still smiling slightly. Rude.

"I feel we have all been being very rude to this young lady," the older girl said again. Wow, it was like she could read my thoughts…

"Indeed, Susan," the younger girl spoke up, "We don't even know her name and she doesn't know ours either!"

"Of course!" the blonde boy said, smacking his forehead.

"Oh, well, uh, my name's Nakoda," I said, nodding at each person around the table. I didn't feel like I was being proper enough but…I guess I just wasn't use to being at a big table that looked like solid gold eating stuff so fancy looking that I had no clue what it actually was.

"What a lovely name, Nakoda," the younger girl said with a smile, "My name is Lucy. I'm the youngest."

"And I am Susan," the older girl said, "I'm the second oldest."

"I'm Peter," the blonde boy said, beaming at me, "I'm the oldest, of course."

Every eye turned to Edmund as we waited for him to say something.

"What are you looking at me for?" he asked with a mouthful of food, "She already knows my name plus all my titles. Oh wait, I'm the…one in the middle of Susan and Lucy."

I nodded, satisfied.

After breakfast, Lucy took me by the hand and led me up a bunch of stairs and into a room down a long, stone corridor. I assumed it was her room because it looked a lot like a place she would be happy in. The color scheme was clearly green and gold and I noted several stuffed animals, although they were crude compared to stuffed animals in my time. I saw that she was an artist right from the start because her walls were covered in penciled drawings of a lion. I didn't have time to get a closer look at them because Lucy was shoving something soft into my hands.

"Try this one!" she said happily. When I had freed my face from the lump of fabric in my hands I looked at it and grinned.

"This is LOVELY!" I held up the cream colored dress and my jaw dropped in awe. I had never held such a beautiful article of clothing in my life! "Where can I change!"

Lucy laughed and told me to use her room and then meet her back in the kitchen. So I slipped out of my filthy clothes and slipped on the weird undergarments and the beautiful dress. See, being a history lover, I was excited to wear a dress I had only seen in pictures! I felt like I was in the Medieval times!

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Lucy had met me in the kitchen like she said and we were now walking outside the very huge castle that Lucy told me was called Cair Paravel. She wouldn't tell me where we were going but she seemed happy about something.

"You have a beautiful dog," she said absentmindedly.

I looked at her in shock.

"Leroy is here too!"

"Yes he is," Lucy smiled, "That's where we're going."

I made Lucy pick up her skirts and we ran to where ever she was taking me. We skidded to a stop in front of the door of what appeared to be a stable. I swung open the door and was so happy to be greeted by a slobbery kiss and a loud "WOOF!"

I laughed out loud and hugged my gentle giant around his tawny neck. His tail was going full speed (as fast as a Great Dane's tail CAN go) and he was nearly bouncing on his paws in excitement. Oh I was so glad to see him!

"Oh, Leroy! I'm so happy you're here with me!" I kissed his dark snout and rubbed his wrinkly brow.

"I'm glad to be here too!"

No. Freaking. Way. Had my dog just…TALKED? I must be going mad.

Lucy giggled behind me and I looked to her desperately for an answer.

"I guess I should have told you sooner," Lucy admitted, her eyes were shining with mischief. "A lot of Narnian animals can talk. Leroy must have been granted that gift."

I gave Leroy a weirded out grin. He shook his head and I noticed his eyes weren't so empty now, they held intelligence.

"Nakoda, I am the same Dog I ever was in my heart," he said, and I decided I liked his deep, booming voice. "You shall always be my master even though the other Dogs say that Narnian dogs have no masters."

I laughed and kissed his nose, rising to my feet. I felt like taking a long walk with Leroy and Lucy to find out more about this fascinating land we had come to.

"Sorry I pulled you along like I did, by the way," Leroy said, looking at me with sad eyes.

"It's alright, Leroy," I said with a smile, "Apparently I needed to be."

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**Well there's chapter 2! I wrote this while listening to "Hillbillies" by Hot Apple Pie…not really the best fanfic writing music, but it made me smile! And I talked to my friend in the military as I wrote this too. That was special! I haven't talked to him in 4 years since he left for Afghanistan! God Bless our troops, both American and all other soldiers involved in this war.**


	3. Archery

**Zayren Heart: I do too! So much and I really want one** **but my college doesn't allow pets :P**

**kyra3015: Thanks for giving this one a chance, I hope it doesn't let you down.**

**saraxrawrr: Thanks! Yeah, I always have loved that name and wanted to use it in a story for a long time. Ha ha, reviews don't have any requirements, I like to read them no matter what :D**

**JuBag: Yeah! I'm a hero :D Glad you like it so far!**

**Luna: I don't live in Biblical times either and my name is Sarah, so what's your point? If you don't like, don't read. It's a simple concept. **

**Ok, now back to the story! (By the way, there is going to be a really sweet twist to this story at the end of it, so…yeah :D )**

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Leroy and I were sitting side by side on the ground of the training area watching the young Centaurs train for battle. It was fascinating to watch! The older Centaurs were not easy on them at all and I swore that sometimes the young ones were going to be severely injured! One of them in particular I had been watching carefully. He had a palomino coloured body and blonde hair that hung to his shoulders and he was absolutely dedicated! He was the last one to walk away after the training was over and the first to training every day.

I had been in Narnia for a week since I woke up and I was just starting to settle in to how things ran around here. My mouth was starting to be less snappy and 21st century and I was starting to take an interest in learning some of the skills the people of this place had.

Archery was topping that list, horseback fighting was another. Susan had kindly offered to help me with my archery and Peter had said he would try to find time to teach me sword fighting. Lucy was teaching me all about the creatures of Narnia and their various ways, literally all the books were titled _Fauns and Their Ways _or _Minotaurs and Their Ways. _Edmund had introduced me to the library, his personal library I was told, and had begun to tell me amazing stories about Narnia's history. This was fast becoming my favorite part of this massive learning process!

"Leroy," I said as we watched the palomino Centaur pack up his gear and trot out of the arena. "Do you think we were brought her for some specific purpose like the Kings and Queens were?"

"I think that Aslan always has a plan for each of us," Leroy replied wisely. I had heard that name, Aslan, a lot since we had been here. The Kings and Queens seemed to use it a lot in conversation and I assumed he must be a very great person indeed.

"Who is this Aslan I hear so much about?" I asked curiously.

"He is the King of Narnia," Leroy said, scratching behind his ear lazily, "King over even these Kings and Queens. Everyone had the utmost respect for him. I should like to meet him, I think."

I nodded and silently agreed. Although something about meeting someone of such importance made me nervous. There was something in that name, Aslan, which made me feel afraid and yet filled me with great desire.

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"Alright," Susan nocked an arrow and pulled the string back to her ear. Her face was deadly serious and I wished I could look half as intimidating as she did as I pulled my own bowstring back. "Take a steadying breath. Let it out slowly. And let it go."

_Twang! Twang! _Our strings snapped back into place and sent our arrows flying toward the targets on the other side of the archery range. Susan's hit dead center. Mine hit the edge of the largest ring of the target.

With a sigh, I nocked another and lifted it steadily to my cheek. I focused on the target across the way. I took a deep breath and released the arrow as I breathed out. _Thunk!_ Much, much better! I looked at Susan when my arrow hit the white ring around the bulls eye.

"That's fantastic, Nakoda!" she said with a big smile. "Again!"

I repeated the process and landed still closer to the center of the target. I was really getting the hang of this!

Susan and I talked about the care and protection of arrows and bows made of different types of woods, the proper use of beeswax on the strings, and how to protect against exposure. There was so much to learn about something that seemed so simple. But I was willing to learn and Susan was eager to teach.

"I tried teaching Lucy over the years," she told me as we walked back to the castle. "She has a great eye for archery, but she really doesn't respect the equipment or understand that there are rules."

"Lucy doesn't strike me as a fighter," I replied, "She's so sweet."

Susan just laughed loudly.

"Oh yes, she is," she said, smiling, "But I wouldn't want to meet her face to face in battle! Lucy's devotion to Narnia and Aslan is unmatched and she would do ANYTHING for them."

"I would say that's a quality to be admired," I stated, thinking that maybe I should get to know Lucy better.

"It is indeed," Susan agreed, "Well, Nakoda, I would say practice went very well today. I'll make an archer out of you yet!"

She clapped me on the shoulder and left me at the castle doors. I took my bow and quiver off my back and went to store them properly, as Susan had taught me.

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**Oh my goodness, I LOVE the show Scare Tactics! It's hilarious! **

**So there's a chapter for you :D Sorry it took so long, but I had a test to study for and not a lot of time! Let me know what you think so far and maybe give me some suggestions because I'm totally open to suggestions.**


	4. Swords and Sweat

**Thanks for all the reviews, guys! It's awesome!**

**Ok, I PROMISE there will be more Edmund ;) But I have to give the other their dues, right? **

**Ok, I have to perform at Trojan Idol (my school's version of American Idol) in an hour so I'm gonna try to get this done before I go and maybe I'll be less nervous ;)**

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"Keep your sword up. Keep the tip up!" Peter hollered across the grassy area where horse riding was taught. "You don't want to poke your pony!"

I laughed out loud at his odd way with words, but I mentally raised the tip of my sword skyward. Peter and Edmund galloped toward each other and I had to force my eyes to stay open no matter how terrible it looked like it would be. At the last second, Peter pulled right and Edmund pulled left and their horses flew past each other, but not before they lashed out at each other from their steeds. The loud clang of clashing swords made me jump a little and my horse side stepped nervously.

"My lady," the lovely roan colored mare looked back at me, "There is nothing to fear. The Kings fight like this often and neither are usually very much injured."

"I know it," I replied, "But I don't know if I can do this. It's so…intense!"

Peter had Edmund's horse backing away and it looked like he would win for sure. But as Peter raised his blade to mark off a win, Edmund yanked the reigns and his horse reared up, Edmund lashed out at the same time as Peter's eyes flicked to the stallion's hooves in front of him and knock Peter's helmet off with a flick of his wrist.

Peter looked venomous for a moment, but it faded into laughter as I began to clap and cheer.

"That was AWESOME!" I cried, my mare whinnied in agreement.

"Nothing you couldn't do yourself if you tried," Edmund said as he rode past me toward the stable. He winked as he passed and I smiled weakly.

"Ready, Nakoda?" Peter asked. I nodded and rode out to meet him. "Ok, run over what I taught you so far."

I cleared my throat.

"Always keep your sword tip up and away from your horse. Hold on with your knees, not the reigns. Give the horse its head unless you NEED to be in control. Watch the blind spot in your front where your horse's head will be. And…keep your heels away from your horse's side to avoid giving it a false command."

"Very good," Peter smiled. " Now, today we're working on reading your opponent. Which…I obviously failed at a moment ago as you saw."

"Edmund's a very good fighter…" I tried to make him feel less like a loser.

"Yes, yes he is," Peter laughed, "The best in Narnia I would say. HE should be teaching you this stuff."

Peter and I sparred lightly for a while and I learned all about watching your opponent's weight shifts, facial cues, and muscle twitches. It was exciting to see that I was actually starting to see the logic in it all. I managed to actually block Peter's attacks a few times. Not many…but a few.

By the time we were finished practicing, my forehead was dripping sweat and I imagined I looked less than attractive. But I didn't care at all if I looked like a massive pile of dirty clothes, I was learning things I was blessed to learn. Things my world had no practical knowledge of. I felt that I was indeed the luckiest girl on…THIS earth.

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**Sorry it's so short! But I really have to go and sign in and get ready so here's a small chapter! Ciao!**


	5. Drawings

**Just wanted to say…MADE IT TO THE NEXT ROUND OF TROJAN IDOL! **

**Ok…now back to the story :D**

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Lucy, as it turned out, was indeed an artist in every sense of the word. She sat me down in her room one day while I was in my armour from having just trained with Peter. I complained about my sweaty and red face and my crazy hair but she would hear none of it and practically shoved me into a chair by the window. The light from it blinded me a bit as it shined in my right eye.

"Are you trying to roast me before you draw me?" I asked, lifting a hand to block the sun.

"Oh do sit still," Lucy complained, rubbing out a mistake she had made. She stuck her tongue through her lips in concentration as I sat as still as possible.

"Lucy your drawings are really amazing," I tried to look around with only my eyes at the sketches on the walls. I was amazed at the detail she had loving put into each one. But the one that caught my eye the most was the one just above her bed. It was a lion's face, eyes, nose and mouth with the mane circling them. The special thing about that picture was the lion's expression. The mouth seemed to be pulled in the corners so it was almost a smile, but the _eyes_ were the most awe-inspiring things. Even though simply drawn in black, grey, and white, they seemed to shine with every emotion imaginable. They stared right into me it seemed.

Lucy had stopped drawing for a moment to rest her hand and eyes. She followed my gaze to the lion picture.

"Aslan," she said, her voice took on a whole new tone, like…admiration?

"Wait," I looked at her in shock, "THAT'S Aslan? He's a LION?"

"Of course he is," Lucy laughed, "He's THE Lion actually. The son of the Emperor-beyond the-Sea, King of all Kings, and my best and dearest of friends."

"Your friend?" I was shocked that gentle little Lucy was hanging out with such a fearsome creature as this.

"Yes," she didn't seemed at all concerned.

"Is he…safe?" I asked.

"Oh no, not at all," Lucy replied, looking at me with artist eyes again, she began to draw. "But he is good."

In an odd way, this made perfect sense. I decided that I wouldn't try to analyze it because some things are best to just know for a fact but not know exactly why. Faith, is what I would call it.

"So how did you meet him?" I asked, curiosity pricked at my mind as I studied the other pictures of the very same Lion that covered her walls. She must really be close to him.

She continued drawing but I could tell she was thinking.

"Well…as much as I would love to tell you about our first meeting, I think that someone else should tell you."

"Who?" I asked, confused.

"Edmund," Lucy stated simply, she made some big marks on the paper in front of her and I wondered what she was doing to my face in that drawing.

"Why him?"

"He could tell it much better than I could," Lucy explained, lifting the paper up and comparing it to me.

I nodded. I guess he was a better story teller or something.

"Well," Lucy said with a smile, she stood up and walked over to me. "I think it looks pretty good! What do you think?"

I looked at the picture and my jaw dropped. It was…beautiful. I couldn't imagine that I looked like that! Somehow, Lucy had managed to make the shining light on my face show through in the picture, my eyes looked like they would turn to look at you at any second! It was…so real looking.

"Lucy…" I said in a hushed whisper, "This…this is amazing."

"It's nothing, really," Lucy blushed.

"Don't sell yourself short, Lucy!" I said, holding the picture gingerly so as not to smudge it. I handed it back to her and she carefully laid it on her drawing desk.

"I'll touch it up later and give it good place on a wall."

I smiled and we walked out of the room laughing about my failings of horseback fighting that day. I always did have some funny mistake story to tell after those lessons.

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**There you go. And my migraine is starting to fade (thank you, Excedrine!).**

**Oh and guess what? Next chapter is about EDMUND :D**


	6. Amazing Love

**I am posting this chapter with something to say: I'm going home for the weekend where my parents live in the Dark Ages without internet access so…updates stop until Monday. But I'll swing back in full force!**

**Ok here it is!**

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I was nearly falling asleep as Edmund read aloud to me from a book on the history of the Lone Islands, not really from boredom but more from exhaustion. Peter had worked me extra hard today at training and Leroy and I had gone on a long walk and a swim down by the beach. I yawned widely and sniffed.

"I can tell you really aren't listening," Edmund was looking at me over the book, amused.

"I'm really sorry, Edmund," I replied, blushing. "It's just that I've been running around and fighting and all that today. I'm really beat."

"Understandable," he said, shutting the book and setting it on the table next to him. "Why don't you go take a nap then?"

I shook my head.

"If I do I'll be even more tired when I wake up."

Edmund reclined in his chair, his legs dangling over one arm while his elbows rested on the other. Not a very kingly position to take, but I smiled at his nonchalant attitude.

"So what would you like to do then?" I tried to imagine I didn't hear the suggestive note to that statement and shrugged.

"Lucy said I should ask you about something," I replied, remembering our discussion in her room the other day.

"Yeah?" he didn't sound too interested as he cracked his knuckles, making me wince.

"I asked her how you all had first met Aslan," I said, ignoring the sound of popping cartilage. "She said you could tell it the best."

Complete and utter silence followed my statement. He just stared at me for a moment with those dark eyes and then he looked away, out the window. He looked pensive and maybe a bit distressed.

"Yeah," he finally said quietly, "I guess I would have a different perspective."

I waited for him to start, looking at him expectantly.

"When we first came here, to Narnia, it was in a state of constant winter," he finally started speaking, not really looking at me. He seemed to be somewhere deep in his memories. "It was under a spell cast by a horrible White Witch who had proclaimed herself the Queen and had subjected the Narnian's to her rule. It had been one hundred years of winter, but never Christmas. It was miserable for all who lived here and they all lived in constant fear of her."

He finally turned back to me, locking his chocolate gaze with my watery blue.

"Lucy and I found our way into Narnia through a wardrobe, it was made of wood from a Narnian tree. It's a long story, but I digress…we got in at slightly separate times and I went looking for her. I came across a path and I found myself looking up at HER, the White Witch, although I wasn't aware of it yet. She was beautiful and frightening at the same time and, being a foolish eleven year old boy, I felt myself drawn to her."

I giggled, but he didn't look amused at all.

"She led me to believe she was the real Queen and she persuaded me to bring my family back to meet her, she treated me rather nicely and gave me some enchanted Turkish Delight, which I had no idea about, and I found myself hooked on everything about her. A desire to have more of her magic treats and the power of becoming a prince that she promised me was all my mind could think about so I promised her I would bring my family back."

I felt sorry for him, I could tell he was having a hard time telling me this.

"Well…we got back to Narnia and I broke off to go to the Witch's castle. When I arrived alone she was very angry. She had me chained in her ice dungeons where I met Mr. Tumnus. She sent her wolves to kill my siblings and I knew now what a horrible thing I had done. I just wanted Peter to be lowered a little, not killed and I DEFINITELY didn't want my sisters hurt! But I could do nothing but sit there thinking about what I had done."

So this was why he looked like he did now, guilt covering every one of his features.

"Luckily the wolves couldn't find them and she came to get me for information. I was so afraid of her, she was very powerful and I was nothing in comparison, but I kept my mouth shut for a small time. But when she raised that wand of hers and I knew I was about to die I blurted out the location I knew they were headed to. Things just got worse and worse and I kept giving her information to save my own worthless hide, and finally she tied me up to a tree in the camp and I accepted the fact that I was going to die and I totally deserved it because my siblings were in mortal danger because of my selfishness."

My eyes softened into a look of sympathy. Yes, he had been terribly deceptive but…this man sitting before me was not that same person and I listened intently to find out what had caused this obvious change.

"But I was saved. A group of soldiers came flying into the camp and cut me loose, taking me somewhere. I had no idea yet where, and I passed out. When I woke up, I was looking into the eyes of him. Aslan. I was so afraid because the look he was giving me was terrible and furious! For some reason, I knew immediately who he was and he bade me to follow him. He spoke with me for a long time, I won't tell you what he said to me because he said it was for me to hear only. When he had finished speaking, I felt like a whole new person."

I smiled. He certainly was. He looked up at me and I saw he looked very sad.

"The Witch came back and claimed my blood because the laws of the Deep magic demanded a sacrifice of blood for a traitorous act. I was going to be killed and yet I felt completely ready to, after all it was what I deserved. But Aslan took her aside and spoke to her for a long time…Nakoda, he traded places with me. He was killed that night, slaughtered like a mere animal, in my place."

"Oh, Edmund…" I whispered in shock.

"But," his voice brightened, "The Deep Magic claimed that one who had committed no wrong and was sacrificed in the place of a traitor would reverse the Magic and death would turn backwards. The Stone Table she killed him on cracked, never to be used again and he rose, more powerful and more beautiful than before. It was he that killed the Witch and save us and all of Narnia."

My jaw dropped and I couldn't believe what I had heard. This Aslan had loved them all enough to give his life for them all…no wonder Lucy loved him so much.

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**Sorry to end here, but I really have to go home. I'll continue from this point in the next chapter! Ciao!**


	7. About the Past

**Ok I'm back :D I worked on chapters over the weekend despite my lack of internet :D**

**So here's one!**

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Edmund continued to tell me stories of Aslan and all that he had done for them since they had arrived in Narnia and my eyes got wider and wider and I was so immersed in the beautiful tales that I started leaning forward in my chair until my chin was resting on my hands.

"And that's how we get to this point," I heard Edmund finish the stories, "We're all assuming Aslan brought you to us as well. Unless you got here by some other route?"

"No," I replied, sitting back up, "I just passed out and when I came to I was here in Narnia."

He nodded and then leaned back into his lounging position in his chair and picked up his book. I could tell this conversation was over.

"Well, I'll let you get back to that," I said, standing to leave.

"You don't have to go," Edmund looked up at me with confused look, "I wasn't trying to be rude or ignore you. I was just going to put this back." He waved the book at me.

"Oh," I muttered sheepishly, sitting back down with my hands in my lap.

"So," Edmund called back to me from where he was placing the book back on the shelf, "How do you like Narnia so far?"

"It's wonderful," I said excitedly, "I've never even imagined such a place! It's like the air here is completely different than where I come from. The animals talk, for goodness sakes!"

He laughed and came back to sit down. He smiled at me and I took a good look at him. He was a very good looking individual, I thought, with his wavy dark hair and his pale skin and freckles across his nose and under his eyes. His eyes! Oh goodness they were beautiful! They were such a deep brown and they were so full of mischief and knowledge that I found myself getting completely lost in them.

"You have really pretty eyes," I heard him whisper.

I shook my head to clear my head. Had he just told me exactly what I had just been thinking?

"They're just blue," I muttered, "Nothing special."

He chuckled darkly.

"From the way the girls around here fawn over Peter they must have something special about them," he said, leaning back into the arm of his chair. "Seriously, have you seen him today?"

I shook my head, I hadn't seen him since practice that morning. Edmund nodded toward the window.

"Look," he stated.

I stood up and went to the window. Sure enough, Peter was brushing down a horse in the courtyard and several young ladies were standing off to the side watching him like a bunch of predators.

"Oh, come on, Edmund," I laughed, "Are you jealous?"

"Psh, no," Edmund stood up and joined me by the window, "I was just making a statement that got skewed out of proportion. Blue eyes are pretty, case closed."

"I prefer hazel," I said nonchalantly, "Or brown."

I saw him glance over at me and I tried not to smile. I snatched up a book that was laying on the windowsill and flipped it open.

"Yeah, I wish Lucy would put those back where they belong," Edmund muttered. Apparently he had a deep respect for books because every book I saw in here was in mint condition. Ah, an admirable quality.

"It's a shame how some people treat books," I agreed with him, I placed it on the mantel of the fireplace between two brass lions.

I looked back at him and caught a look of respect on his face. He was about to say something when a knock on the doorframe made us both turn and look. Susan was leaning in.

"Time for dinner," she announced. We smiled and joined Susan in our walk down to the dining hall.

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We were seated around the table eating dinner and it was relatively quiet. Peter looked like he wanted to hit something, Lucy was drawing while she ate (I saw it was a drawing of her walking hand in hand with a Minotaur…odd), Susan was too polite to break the silence, and Edmund was stuffing his face too fast to speak without choking.

So I figured it was my job to break the silence.

"So, where did you guys come from?" I asked, "Like…when and where and why?"

Susan smiled, glad to have not been the first to speak.

"We came to Narnia in the fall of 1940 from England, because we had been evacuated to the country after some nasty bombing on London," she said. "Obviously, the reason why was to take the place as the Kings and Queens of Narnia and help to defeat the White Witch."

"1940? From England?" I squeaked, I had totally forgotten the fact that they were not from my time. "So…you were right there in World War II?"

They all nodded solemnly, even Edmund stopped eating and looked at me with interest.

"Do…do you know what happened?" he asked, eyes wide.

I nodded. Of course I did!

"Let's see…since fall of 1940, which means the bombings you mentioned were just the beginning of the London Blitz,…Hitler conquered Yugoslavia and Greece and then marched into Russia…Japan bombed Pearl Harbor in Hawaii on December seventh in 1941 and so America joined the war. The Allies then decided to take the offense and we stopped the Axis advances in North Africa, the Pacific Ocean, and Russia. Italy surrendered in 1943, Germany and Japan surrendered in 1945."

The faces of the four siblings around me were absolutely entranced by my words.

"We…we won?" Peter asked hopefully.

"Yes," I replied, "The Allies won. Hitler committed suicide on April 30, 1945."

"Suicide?" Edmund looked disappointed, "You mean we didn't get to hang the son of a…"

"Ed!" Susan put a stop to what may have been a nasty bit of profanity. She looked at me. "Do go on, Nakoda."

"Well, Japan didn't stop just because the European Axis members had fallen," I went on, "Finally, the Americans dropped two atomic bombs. One on Hiroshima and one on Nagasaki. The outcome was horrific, no one had anticipated the amount of destruction those bombs would do, and Japan opened up peace negotiations. They finally surrendered on September 12."

Everyone's jaws were dropped. I felt weird telling these people their future at the same time I was telling my past.

"How do you know all this?" Lucy asked.

"School," I replied, "Well school and the fact that I love to read and watch old documentaries on TV."

"In school?" Peter was awed. "What year do you come from exactly?"

"Um…" it suddenly sounded very weird to admit, "I come from…2011."

The only sound in the room at the point was Peter when he began to choke on the food he had been about to swallow. Susan reached over to pat his back hard.

"Well it just turned 2011, I didn't get to see much of it before I got pulled into Narnia. I guess I came from 2010 more or less."

"What's it like?" Lucy's eyes were bright.

"Let her be," I heard Edmund mutter, "It's late. She can tell us tomorrow."

"By jove, you're right, Ed!" Peter agreed, standing up. "We all had better get some sleep. Why it's been dark for nearly two hours."

Everyone started murmuring in agreement and we all stood up to go our separate ways. But Edmund grabbed my hand and stopped me.

"You will tell us about it, won't you?" he asked, his dark eyes gleaming.

"Of course, I will," I said, not sure why he would think I wouldn't.

"Good. I thought maybe you wouldn't want us to know what it's going to be like." Then I did understand.

"I don't see why it would hurt anything," I said with a shrug, "Narnia and Earth are completely different places. Our history won't affect you."

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**There's a chapter :D Next chapter will surely have some more humour due to our outlandish inventions of the 21****st**** century!**

**Let me know if there is any specific inventions you think would be shocking! Review :D**


	8. About the Future

**Thanks for all the reviews my awesome readers! I'm chomping on some Irish scones I just made from a recipe I got while I was over there and soaking up the fact that my school is cancelled for a few days due to ice. Ahhhhhh….love it. So that means I'll have time to write!**

**So here's the next chapter!**

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Breakfast was eaten quickly the next morning and I sensed everyone's eyes on me as I took my time with the eggs on my plate. I looked around at the eager faces and decided I should probably not torture them with anticipation anymore. I cleared my throat and asked for Leroy to be brought in to help me tell my story.

We went to the sitting room and we all got comfortable until Leroy came tromping in, his big feet tracking mud on the floor. Shoot, I would have to clean that…

"Oh do tell us about…2010?" Lucy said, trying to remember if the date was correct.

"Yes, 2010," I began, trying to think about what to tell them without thinking about actually telling them actual occurrences of the future. Not that some of it would matter to them because we lived in totally different countries. "Well life is VERY different in my time than it was back in yours. Girls wear pants and have boyish haircuts, not ALL of them but it's acceptable, people are extremely overweight, TV has reruns and shows you've never heard of, cars are faster and louder and bigger, we have computers…"

"What are those?" Peter's interest was piqued.

"Computers?" I asked, Peter nodded. "Well they're…kind of like a TV, they have a screen where pictures show up…and uh, you can store information on them and use the internet to look up any kind of information you want…"

"Internet?" Susan's eyebrows raised.

"ANY information?" Edmund asked, looking shocked. "So you could know all the military secrets of your enemies? How does anyone win wars if they know what the other people are doing?"

"I may have been over exaggerating when I said EVERYTHING…" I tried to figure out how to explain such foreign concepts. "But you can Google random stuff and it'll tell you about it."

"What's a 'Google'?" Lucy asked, her eyes wide with wonder.

I groaned slightly and ran my hand over my face. Leroy's tail was wagging and I could tell he wanted to laugh.

"It's a…thing you use on a computer to ask a question and it will tell you an answer," I tried not to use any unfamiliar lingo.

"Oh…ok that makes sense!" Lucy smiled.

"The computer is actually a very good way to keep in contact with people who are far away from you, even in other countries. We have Facebook…email…Twitter….MySpace…"

"Whoa, whoa whoa!" Peter held up his hands, looking overwhelmed.

"Oh right," I blushed, gosh this was harder than I thought…"Um, email is like…sending a letter from one computer to another…"

"That sounds practical," Susan said, "How long does it take?"

"About 10 seconds…" I replied, seeing the shock on Susan's face. "Um, Twitter is a place you can write to saying what you're doing at any given time of the day."

"Well…why would anyone care?" Edmund asked.

"I don't know, some people might, I guess…" I looked at Leroy for some help.

"They also have this thing they call Facebook," he said in his deep doggy voice, "They spend hours and hours sitting there looking at the computer screen, hoping someone will say something about something. And they play all kinds of silly games on it."

"It's not silly, Leroy," I replied, "It's a great way to keep up with what's going on around you."

"That's what eyes and ears are for," Edmund interjected with a grin.

"Ok, I admit…it's a HUGE waste of time…" I said, trying to get back on track. "We ALSO have cellular phones. They're phones that you can take anywhere without a cord or anything."

"That sounds terrible," said Peter, looking disgusted. "You mean you have a phone all the time so you can never get away from people who are trying to call you?"

"Well…when you put it THAT way it sounds terrible…"

"Oh do let her go on," Lucy said, annoyed at the frequent pauses in the conversation.

"Our music is different too," I said, thinking of how much I missed my favorite bands, "We have rock and roll, rap, techno…"

"What does all that even mean?" Susan snapped, getting annoyed.

"Well…rock and roll is like electrics guitars and heavy drum solos and loud singing…" I tried to demonstrate with an air guitar and a bad attempt at making the sound to go along with it.

They all just laughed and said I looked ridiculous, and I had to agree.

"Rap, well…rap is like talking in rhythm," I continued.

"Sounds boring…" Edmund mumbled. I glared at him.

"It's not my favorite," I admitted, "It's kind of annoying. We also have…"

"Nakoda," Peter raised a hand to silence me, he looked weary. "I really think that my mind can't handle your generation. I honestly hope I don't live to see your time."

The others all murmured agreements and stood to leave, looking absolutely confused. Except for Susan, who looked almost eager. I didn't like that look.

"Your time sounds crazy," Lucy giggled as we filed out of the sitting room, "I don't know how you would keep sane!"

"Sometimes I wonder how we do too…" I admitted. "I always wished I could have lived back in your time. Back when music was fun, everyone knew how to dance, tv shows were funny, and people were mainly decent."

"It was a good time, wasn't it?" Edmund said with a smile, "Too bad we missed it."

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**Little do they know, right? Little does Peter know he WON'T live to see that time. Little does Susan know she WILL. Oh man…that's depressing.**

**Anywho….you know what to do :D**


	9. Snow Fight

**So I'm in the smack middle of the Snowpocalypse that's currently hitting Midwest America which means when the blizzard hits tonight I will be snowed in and bored which means…I will write a lot :D And this chapter was inspired by the snow too as will the next few :D**

**For now, I will do what I can in between watching Becoming Jane and sleeping!**

**Here we go!**

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I woke up the next morning and wondered what time it was, it seemed later than when I was usually awoken by one of the maids. I yawned and pulled my robe over my shoulders and went to walk out of my room when I looked out the window.

Snow! LOTS of snow! I ran to my window and grinned gleefully at the fat flakes that were blowing past my window, I couldn't even see beyond the balcony outside it was so thick!

I threw on my old torn jeans and my old t-shirt excitedly and slipped on my beloved Converse. I threw open the door and ran smack into a solid body in my haste. I shook my hair out of my eyes and looked up. It was Edmund.

"Oh, excuse me," I said, blushing.

Edmund examined my apparel with amused eyes.

"Now that I know more about your time period that shirt seems almost normal," he commented.

"Yeah, sorry if I overwhelmed you," I apologized, trying to get around him.

"Where are you headed in such a hurry?" he asked, blocking my path again.

"Why are you creeping around outside my bedroom door?" I accused.

Edmund looked at me strange and then rolled his eyes.

"I was just walking by on my way downstairs when you came flying out and nearly killed me," he said, turning to leave.

"You want to have breakfast with me?" I asked out of friendliness.

"Sure, come on," he smiled and I decided he had a very lovely smile. So we walked through the castle and down to the kitchen where we found a Faun and a Unicorn discussing the state of the castle garden and what was to be done about supporting the grape vines better next time. They looked up when we entered and the unicorn bowed and made her exit through the back door. The blowing snow didn't seem to phase her.

Edmund told the Faun that we were ready for breakfast and she began to fry and cook and bake things right before my eyes. Edmund leaned against the island in the middle of the kitchen and began chatting it up with her, asking about her kids and her husband's cold and how the snow would affect the daily routines. It was at this moment I realized he was a King who didn't put on airs and who was more than glad to spend time with the individual people under his rule. My respect for him raised a lot.

He introduced me to the Faun whose name was Delius and then he carried my plateful of food out to the dining table and set it at a spot. Then he pulled out my chair for me and my respect raised even more. This guy was a genuine gentleman.

"Thanks," I smiled at him as he sat across from me.

"For what?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"For treating me like I'm a lady," I replied, realizing how odd that must sound.

"Well…you ARE a lady," he said simply, digging in to his breakfast.

"I never really thought so." I muttered.

He looked at me funny and then fell silent for the longest time as we ate.

"How exactly are you treated in your time?" he asked suddenly, making me jerk as his voice broke the silence.

"Um…well not terrible," I considered my answer carefully, "But…people are much less respectful of each other in general."

"Sounds sad," Edmund observed.

"Yeah, it really is," I agreed.

Edmund leaned back in his chair and waited for me to finish eating. I got nervous being watched but I shoveled it down and looked at him, wondering what he was waiting on me for.

"I'm assuming, from your behaviour this morning, that you are excited about the snow?" he asked, standing up.

I nodded and a grin spread over my face.

"Well then come on and we'll get you some descent snow-going clothes," he jerked his head toward the door and I followed him as he started walking toward them.

He found me some boots, a heavy cloak, a thick dress and high stockings. Then he handed me the gloves he had and we walked out of the castle doors into the snow which had stopped coming down in a torrent. The flakes were thick but falling softly now and I admired how beautiful the grounds looked covered in its white blanket.

_Whack!_

My spine automatically straightened and I gasped as something cold ran all the way down my back. I jerked around to find Edmund grinning evilly at me. That jerk had just clobbered the back of my head with a snowball!

"Oh you've released the beast now, boy!" I hollered as I scooped up a handful of snow. Edmund just laughed and took off running across the courtyard. I took off after him.

We had a brutal war and we both got several snowballs to the face and back of the head and everywhere else you could think. Then we collapsed in the deep snow together in a heap and laughed our heads off.

I looked down at him and realized how awkward my body was draped across him. I stood up quickly, clearing my throat and brushed the snow off me. he stood up too, only slower and with a smug look on his face. I had a feeling he had also noticed our position.

I shivered, from the cold and maybe a hint of something else that was caused by the way he was staring at me with those dark eyes.

"Cold?" he asked. Dang, he didn't miss a THING, did he?

"Y…yy….yeah," my teeth started to chatter.

"Come on," Edmund put his arm around my shoulders and guided me to the door. "Let's get you warmed up."

I ignored the way it sounded and figured he meant well but didn't think of how tainted my 20th century brain was.

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**There you go, readers :D More to come, I promise!**


	10. A Discovery

**SNOWED IN! Visibility sucks, it's freezing cold, and I feel lazy…so I'll be updating regularly :D**

**So here we go!**

**Aims5: Ironic that you should mention that because I was just about to bring that to light :D And so I shall!**

**Oh, and I have to explain that Leroy is not a Narnian dog but was given the gift of speech (much like Strawberry/Fledge) upon their arrival.**

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I sighed as I looked out the window. The snow wasn't letting up and there was no going anywhere or doing anything. I had been trying to take up the day by hanging out with Lucy and Susan but they eventually had Queenly duties to perform so I was back in my room, bored out of my mind.

Leroy stood next to me with a bored look on his face as we watched the fat snowflakes fall endlessly.

"Is this ever going to stop?" he mumbled.

'What would you rather be doing, Leroy?" I asked, honestly interested. I wanted to know how my best friend thought after I had wondered for years.

"Oh you know, hunting, digging, running…anything but being stuck inside."

I nodded in agreement.

"Well…I think I'll kill my boredom with books," I said, grabbing my robe from my bed. A big comfy chair, a good book, a thick robe and maybe a hot chocolate sounded perfect. I went down to the kitchen and asked if they could make me some hot chocolate and then I went up to the library. I picked out a book on the 100 Year Winter of Narnia because I thought it was appropriate and then plopped down on the big chair by the crackling fireplace. Ah…this was like a dream.

I became immersed in the words and my eyes were glued to the pages so didn't notice anyone come in the library until I heard a clink on the table next to me. I jerked back to reality and glanced up. Edmund was smiling down at me.

"Looks like we had the same idea," he said, sitting in the chair next to me, "I brought your hot chocolate up for you, by the way. Saved the maid some time."

I smiled at him.

"Why thank you, Edmund."

"Well you're very welcome," he replied with a grin as he snatched up the first book he saw on the table. He skimmed over the title on the spine and nodded, kicking his legs over the arms of the chair. I guess that's just how he always sat when no one was viewing him as a king.

I found my book suddenly less interesting as I watched the young king out of the corner of my eye. He looked like he belonged in this setting. His dark eyes were intensely focused on the book and his pale fingers gripped it tightly so I gathered that must be a good book. I watched him prop the book up with one and while the other tangled in his black hair and I bit my lip to stop a giggle. He just looked so…cute.

Oh geez. I cleared my throat and looked back at my book, shaking my head.

"Something wrong?" I heard Edmund ask. I decided I really liked how he talked. He had a heavy British accent with a slight lisp, but not enough of one to make his an unattractive voice.

"Oh, no," I replied, feeling really pathetic with my boring American accent. "I was just thinking."

"What were you thinking about?"

What could I say? '_Oh, I was just watching you and thinking you're probably the most attractive boy I ever met'_? No…I don't think so. So I just smiled and didn't reply.

When I look back, it would have been better to make up some lame thought and he might have been satisfied. But I just shut my mouth. However, my eyes kept flicking back to where he was sitting. More than once, his snapped up to mine and I would look down, hoping he didn't see me looking at him.

Then I looked over again and found him staring right at me, his book closed on his lap and his arms crossed over his chest. A smug half smile stretched from the corner of his mouth and I felt my cheeks blaze as I blushed furiously. I dropped my eyes to the floor beside me and tried to look nonchalant.

I heard him start to chuckle and I was so embarrassed because he OBVIOUSLY knew I had been watching him. Gosh, I was creepy! So I stood up and turned to leave the library but I never have been known for my graceful movements or suaveness, and my foot caught on the edge of the rug sending me sprawling on the floor, face first.

I heard Edmund erupt in laughter and I just laid there with my face to the floor, absolutely mortified. But his laughter ended fairly quickly and I felt strong hands close on my arms and I was lifted to a sitting position as he knelt in front of me, he took my face in his hand and turned it side to side, checking for a broken nose no doubt.

"That was…intense," he said, his voice was sarcastic but his eyes held serious concern. "Are you alright?"

I nodded, not trusting my own voice. He took my hands and pulled me up with him. Then I realized, with a painful jolt, that I had indeed done some damage as my ankle gave out and I found my face embedded in his chest as I fell forward.

"I'm sorry," I squeaked, trying to back up, but Edmund's arms held me right flush against him. I tried to calm down and tell myself it didn't matter because he was just being a gentleman and not letting me fall. It didn't really help because gentlemen are pretty sexy.

I looked up at him and I locked my blue eyes with his brown and a smile spread across his face.

"You're a klutz," he said softly. I hoped it wasn't my imagination when my mind told me he had just leaned in a little closer, his lips stayed slightly parted after his words and my heart began pounding wildly. I closed my eyes…

"EDMUND PEVENSIE!"

My eyes shot open when the voice of Susan shattered the tense silence. Edmund didn't let me go, but every ounce of tenderness I had been seeing was now replaced by embarrassment and a little worry. But my mind had gone from this situation and was in another place entirely.

Pevensie? Their last name was Pevensie? I gasped and pulled away from him and limped out the door. I vaguely heard Susan and Edmund start snapping at each other but all I could think of was reaching my bedroom.

I threw open the door and pulled the bottom drawer of my dresser out and dug through the clothes inside. I pulled out my old, shredded army jacket and looked at the name patch sewn on the breast of it. PEVENSIE.

No. Way.

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***gasp* Makes you wonder about the history behind that jacket, huh? Don't worry, all shall be revealed in time ;)**

**Reviews make me grin :D**


	11. Kisses and Gold

**The snow has officially piled up in front of the door to where it's almost unopenable. Wow…I have never seen so much snow in my life.**

**So…the writing continues!**

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I avoided Edmund for the next two days but the snow was not letting up so it was a hard thing to do because we were both shut in the same castle together. So I finally took to staying in my room completely.

However, I should have known it wouldn't work for too long.

_Knock knock!_

"What?" I almost snapped at the door.

It cracked open and Edmund's sheepish face peeked around the edge of it.

"Um, Nakoda," he asked hesitantly, "Can I talk to you for a moment?"

"Sure," I muttered, it would do no good to be rude.

"So…why in Aslan's name are you avoiding me?" he asked bluntly, crossing his arms and leaning against the wardrobe next to my door.

"I…I…wasn't…"

"You are the worst liar I ever saw," he shook his head and laughed.

"Oh and I suppose you're the best?" I snapped, annoyed that I couldn't form my words right.

"Actually…I was pretty good at it once," he reminded me. I felt terrible for suggesting it.

"Sorry," I mumbled, looking down at my shoes. "But what the heck, Edmund? What was with the kiss?"

His eyes widened and he straightened up.

"What?" he asked, incredulous, "I didn't kiss you!"

"You were GOING to!" I shouted back at him.

"How do you know?" he took a step closer and glared at me. "I was just trying to keep you from falling on your face on the floor again! You were none too steady."

"Oh shut up! That's the worst excuse I ever heard!" I glared right back at him, my blue eyes blazing.

"It's not an excuse!" Edmund turned his head slightly, fixing me in one eye more than the other.

"Come on, Edmund!" I scoffed, "If you're going to kiss a girl you should probably not take so long in deciding. Seriously, you stared at me forever before Susan came in. You should have just grabbed me and…"

Edmund's eyes had flashed and before I could finish my statement, his hand was behind my head and his lips were pressed firmly to mine, parting mine and making my brain stop working properly. I was too shocked to respond and so he pulled back, looking disappointed.

"Um…well at least you stopped talking…"

I just stood there with my mouth hanging open in disbelief as I stared at him. What. The. Heck?

"You fresh little…" I started to mutter but he laughed.

"You practically invited me to do that, Nakoda , so don't play innocent with me."

I shut my mouth and examined the situation. I sure felt ridiculous. And I began to chuckle, which turned to a giggle, which turned to a belly laugh and I had to sit down.

Edmund sat next to me and looked at me like he was concerned for my sanity.

"Nakoda, is being locked up because of all this snow getting to you?" he asked with a smile.

I sighed.

"Yeah it really is," I admitted.

"Can you play chess?" he asked, looking excited.

"I know the rules, but I'm not a champion," I said, smiling at his beaming face.

"Come on! I have to show you something!" he stood up and practically dragged me down the hall to his room. He pulled me inside and led me to a table in one corner of the room. Edmund's room was nothing like Lucy's. The color scheme was most definitely dark blue and silver and he had weapons laying all over. The one similar thing to Lucy's room was the picture of Aslan over his bed. I turned my attention to what Edmund had brought me here for.

It was a chess set, but not a normal one. I eyed the pieces in wonder. Edmund picked one up and handed it to me, it was HEAVY!

"Solid gold," he grinned at my face. "And the other player's is white gold. Peter, Susan and Lucy got it for me last Christmas."

"Wow," I said, genuinely awed. "Can…can we play a few games?"

Edmund smiled.

"Yes!"

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We ended up playing more than a few games. We played for hours and long into the night until Leroy came looking for me.

"Nakoda," he chided me, "Shouldn't you be in bed?"

"I don't see why," I replied honestly, "It's not like I have anything pressing to do in the morning."

"But the king may," Leroy reasoned.

Edmund sighed and leaned back in his chair.

"The noble Dog speaks the truth, milady," he yawned, "I'm afraid I do have some meetings to be present at tomorrow afternoon."

"Meetings?" I was curious.

"Yeah, just economic though," he sounded disappointed, "No war councils or training exams."

"Well darn, no fighting tomorrow," I snapped my fingers and made a sad face.

Edmund laughed and stood, offering me his hand to help me stand. I took it with a shy smile, I wasn't use to being treated in such a gentlemanly fashion.

"Well, Nakoda of the strange age of the 21st century," he said gallantly, "I bid you goodnight and I hope your dreams are quite pleasant."

He winked and I felt my heart do a weird little skip. Oh for crying out loud.

"I'm sure they will be," I replied, "Although I get the feeling his Majesty will be having better dreams than I, although much less probable."

"One never can tell," were the last words I heard him say before I shut the door behind me.

Leroy looked at me and shook his doggy head with the smile of a Dane.

"As long as I live I will never understand the way you humans step around the issues at hand," he muttered and walked off down the hall, leaving me staring after him in confusion.

"What issue?" I called after him, but he just laughed and didn't stop.

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**So I just spent my whole night watching Harry Enfield skits and Monty Python's Flying Circus. It was fantastic :D**

**My back hurts now so I am calling it a night. More tomorrow!**

**Reviews to wake up and read would be cool :D**


	12. Walks and Nightmares

**I promise the jacket plays a VERY important and VERY adorable part, but not just yet! (secret: I wrote the ending last night because I thought of it and I didn't want to lose it…so the end is already done xD)**

**Ok on with it!**

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Edmund and I, being stuck in the same castle with nothing better to do than hang out together, started becoming very close friends. It had been a week and the snow was finally just beginning to melt. Edmund had been outside a few times since the snow had stopped coming down but the girls were still warned to stay in because of the bitter temperatures and the insanely deep drifts.

I was looking out my window wistfully because it was so beautiful outside. The sun was bright and reflecting on the perfect white blanket over the land and I had that familiar childish urge to go out in it and go crazy with fun. So I grabbed my jeans and my shirt and my cloak and assorted other bundles and headed down the stairs. I left my military jacket in my room, carefully tucked away because I felt it should be better taken care of after such a dragging as it had been through by Leroy. I would have to sew up the tears later.

No one was around to stop me when I shot out the front door and threw myself into the drift with a "YEEHAW" very typical of my American Midwest self. A very true stereotype.

"What are you? Some kind of cowgirl?" an amused voice reached my ears. I looked up and saw Peter looking down into the snowdrift with a grin.

I giggled and let him help me out. This drift had to be at least eight feet deep! He showed me the path where they had packed down the snow so I wouldn't get stuck in a drift and freeze to death.

"How do you know what a cowgirl is?" I asked, completely forgetting that they had lived in my world once.

"I read a lot in England," Peter replied with a smile, "I was rather fond of American Western stories."

"Oh that's right!" I smacked my forehead.

"Well, I have things to do inside so you enjoy yourself and be careful."

I promised I would and Peter turned and walked up the steps.

I looked around me at the mounds of white that use to be statues, sheds, and carts and decided it looked rather…lonely out here and I wished I had someone with me.

I went down the path that Peter had pointed out and came to the hedge that surrounded the garden. I peeked through it and smiled when I saw Edmund sitting by himself on a bench under a snow laden tree. He had apparently gone through some trouble to get the bench uncovered, I mused as I saw the huge pile of snow that had been moved. I decided to keep hidden and watch him.

However, I was disappointed because he barely moved at all. His hands were clasped in front of him and his head was down, eyes closed. I decided I was wasting my time spying on such a boring subject so I stepped through the hedge.

"Edmund?" I made my presence known so as not to frighten him.

He looked up quickly and smiled.

"Oh, hey," he patted the bench next to him, motioning for me to sit down. "What are you doing out here?"

"Well…being rebellious, I suppose." I sat next to him.

"Go figure," Edmund grinned, "I don't know why I would expect different."

I let that comment slide, I was curious as to why he was sitting out here, alone, in the freezing cold.

"Why are you just sitting out here?" I asked in a whisper, this place just felt like a place you would whisper.

"I wasn't JUST sitting out here," he replied, looking off toward the walls of the castle. "I was…talking to Aslan. Praying, if you will. I guess it's kind of a silly habit to some people."

Actually, I thought it was a lovely thing for him to do.

"Not at all," I replied softly, placing my hand on his. I don't know why I did that…it just seemed like the thing to do. But once I did it, I felt very awkward and I felt my hand shake from nervousness at what he might think of my forwardness.

But I needn't have worried. Edmund just looked at me with a smile and took my hand in his. Rising from the bench he lifted my hand to his lips and kissed my knuckles, his dark eyes gazing at me from under the hair that fell in his face.

"Would you care to take a walk with me, milady?" he asked and my heart felt like a bunch of butterflies were stuck inside it trying to break free. I nodded because I highly doubted my voice would work at that time.

So we walked through the thick snow and laughed at each other when we would miss our footing and fall gracelessly into the drifts. Edmund told me funny stories about how insane the people in the castle went when it stormed, how the young unicorns loved to hide in the snow and jump out at people, how he and his siblings would have snowball fights and assorted other merry tales.

I found that, somewhere along the way, our arms had become linked together and I smiled, but didn't say a word.

"Well," Edmund said far too soon, "I'm afraid I have duties to attend to. And you're shivering! Get back inside before you catch cold or worse!"

I didn't tell him I wasn't just shivering from the cold, but I figured there was no point. So I smiled and gave him a tight hug before trotting back up the steps and inside. I leaned against the doors when I shut them behind me and bit my bottom lip with a smile.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXx

I don't know what it was that woke me up that night, but I discovered I was shivering. So I stood up and rubbed my arms furiously, trying to warm them up. I decided to head down to the library where the fire was always going because the castle maids knew that King Edmund was prone to sitting in there with a book during the wee hours of the night. Maybe I would happen to come down while he was there too.

But as I passed by the door of Edmund's room on my way, I heard something very strange. It almost sounded like…whimpering? Wait…that wasn't normal. Then the silence of the hall was shattered by a piercing scream and I flung open his door without thinking.

He was asleep, I could see, but he was tossing and turning wildly on his bed. Little whimpers and moans were issuing from him and I knew right away, from my experience with my younger sibling, that he was having a nightmare.

I didn't think about how it would look to anyone, I just walked over and laid down next to him, like I did so often with my little brother and wrapped my arms around him. He was much bigger than my brother though and…much firmer. I said his name in his ear and his jerkings halted as his body unconsciously realized he was not alone. He gave another little whimper and I squeezed him tightly against me, my left hand pressed firmly on his bare chest. I know I was there to comfort and calm, but my young womanly side was also begging for dominance and I began to run my hands over his shoulder and arm and then his side.

Edmund chuckled in his sleep as my hand ran over the skin of his obliques. He was ticklish! Cute. I sighed and laid back down and just held him. I didn't know what he was dreaming about and I didn't know what had possessed me to do this, but I felt like this was where I belonged tonight. So I fell asleep with a smile.

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**Aaaawwww, cute :D Well I am off to build a snowman so I'll be back to write more later! Reviews are pretty awesome!**


	13. Trust

**Ok the snow isn't packing good enough to make snowmen so…I came back in after falling into the dang drifts I was trying to plod through. It's lovely :D**

**Ok I shall now continue.**

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I yawned and snuggled into the warm body next to me…wait a second…body next to me? I jerked awake and gasped when I found myself caught in Edmund's arms which were surrounding me and holding me flush up against him. Oh no…

I tried to wiggle out but they only tightened around me and I KNEW this was going to be a very awkward moment. But I had to get out before anyone came in so I tapped him on the shoulder and whispered: "Edmund."

But he didn't do anything but sigh and shift his hold around my shoulders to around my waist. Not helping at all!

"Edmund!" I smacked him on the arm and his eyes opened immediately. He was unfocused and smiling at first until he realized who I was. He sat up and pushed himself away from me.

"What are you doing in here!" he yelled, apparently he wasn't concern about me being caught in here because he sure wasn't being discreet about it. I pouted angrily.

"YOU were having a freaking night terror so I came in to calm you down and…" Oh gosh, what would I tell him?

But he sighed and seemed to deflate before my very eyes. His brown eyes dropped down to the bed beside him and his cheeks flushed brightly.

"Oh…you uh, you heard that?" he asked nervously. Oh gosh, he was embarrassed.

"Yeah…I was walking by to go to the library because I couldn't sleep," I admitted, "And you…well you screamed and I had no idea what was going on so I checked on you and…well I have a little brother who has nightmares all the time and so I just…did what I do for him."

Edmund looked back up at me, his eyes were sad and I guessed he wasn't use to being so vulnerable. So I tried to make him see that I didn't think anything less of him for being so.

"I'm sorry for how it looks, Edmund, but I honestly meant nothing by it. I just…felt like I could help."

His mouth twitched like he wanted to smile but couldn't quite do it.

"What was it about?" I asked softly. Searching his face for a trace of what he had been experiencing last night. His eyes seemed to darken, angrily, and he sighed heavily.

"Same thing I always do," he muttered darkly, "Her."

And then I understood. I remembered the story he had told me in the library about how they had gotten to Narnia. But back then I had been focused on the aspect of Aslan and it hit me now that that story was more important to Edmund than I thought. He was still haunted by his betrayal and I wondered how I hadn't seen it before. This explained why he was more secretive, quiet, and reserved. Something also told me that these nightmares were not such a rare occurrence.

"Oh, Edmund," I whispered, pity heavy in my tone. I didn't want to be patronizing but I WAS sorry for him. "Maybe if you tell me about it…maybe it'll help you feel…better." I realized how lame it sounded but I was just being honest.

Edmund laughed quietly and shook his head with a small smile.

"I really don't like to talk about it," he said. I felt like a jerk and yet I felt kind of dejected at the same time at his words. "But…I'll do it for you."

My head raised up quickly and I met his eyes. They were looking back at me in all seriousness, but I saw a hint of some other emotion there too.

"I dreamed I was back in the Witch's house," he began slowly, his voice shook slightly. "Only…I was actually serving her. I was kneeling at her feet when the wolves dragged a small Lamb into the courtyard and threw him down. She stood up and grabbed a sword and walked up to the Lamb then just before she stabbed it she turned to me and handed me the sword and told me it was my fault the Lamb was here and I should deal the final blow. But when I looked at the sword it wasn't really a sword anymore but a stone knife and as soon as I drove it into the Lamb it looked at me and its eyes turned golden and its wool turned into fur…it was Aslan."

When he finished, he was shaking and his voice had gotten darker and more frightened than I had ever heard it before. He looked…so scared that my heart just broke for him and I grabbed him in a really tight hug, and I felt him reciprocate in an almost overly-squishing way but I just smiled and held on. He sniffed and I felt him bury his nose in my neck, which made my spine tingle.

He didn't let me go for a long time and I realized the poor guy had probably needed a good hug for a long time. You can only be strong for so long before you snap. But he finally gave a huge sigh and pulled back, locking eyes with me.

"Thank you, Nakoda," he whispered, his voice was choked. "But…please don't tell anyone. I…don't like worrying them with my stupid little problems. They have bigger things to focus on."

"Edmund, take it from a middle child," I said softly, "Your siblings' problems are ALWAYS more important than anything else. And Lucy would be heartbroken for you."

"Exactly," he said quietly.

And I knew then that it wasn't just his pride, he didn't want his siblings worried. And I knew that it was also mostly for Lucy, whose tender heart would indeed be broken for her older brother. I know that if I was in Lucy's shoes I would be.

"Alright, Edmund," I said with a nod. "I won't say a word. This is between me and you."

"Thanks, Nakoda," Edmund smiled, he helped me stand up and put his hands on my shoulders. "I don't know why but…I feel like I can trust you with anything."

I smiled back at him and patted his hand before removing them from my shoulders and giving him a wink as I slipped out the door.

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**So sorry it took so long but I'm being distracted by all kinds of loud noises in this house, FB chat, and traversing through the snow to get supper.**

**More to come, promise! After I watch Seven Brides for Seven Brothers :D**

**Reviews are pretty cool!**


	14. Hunting Trip

**I'm listening to Loreena McKennitt and wishing I was in Ireland again…so I may as well write and take my mind off of it. *sigh***

**Oh and feel free to tell me anything you think I should do to help build the relationship between Nakoda and Edmund because I could use some ideas :D**

**Thanks to all you awesome reviewers who make me smile when I read what you have to say! Makes me want to write more!**

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Edmund and I sat next to each other at breakfast and it seemed to me that sharing a secret automatically made two people closer because he was joking around with me and talking to me in general much more lately. Within the last few days he had took me horseback riding to his many favorite places in the region, made of list of books I HAD to read from his private library, sat up till the wee hours talking with me about America and our old world, and made plans to go hunting today.

I was excited because the only hunting I had ever done was deer hunting with my 12 gauge shotgun back in my woods at home in Missouri. Nothing like bow hunting in the wild woods of Lantern Waste. He said it was about a 5 days journey to the west of Cair Paravel and I was super excited to see more of the land of Narnia. I was determined to get to know it as well as my good old Missouri.

So it was that I found myself saddling up a non-talking bay colored horse while Edmund saddled a non-talking black horse. I thought it was fitting and they went well together because they were both dark yet sweet. I shook that thought from my head and focused on cinching the saddle tight and fixing the stirrups. I had never ridden on a saddle like this any more than I had bowhunted and I eyed it cautiously. I was use to Western saddles and this one looked flimsy in comparison. Edmund said it was made for travelling long distances and wouldn't tire out the horse nor make our backsides as sore. I had to agree that this sounded plausible and so I pulled myself up and gave it a testing wiggle. It seemed sturdy enough now that I was on it and I smiled and gave Edmund a 'thumbs up'. He nodded and we turned our horses toward the gate and took off at a trot.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXx

We crossed a small stream and I smiled as we rode into the woods on the other side, they were mainly oaks and birches and I loved how clear the underbrush was. It was easy to traverse and we made good time through it. We met up with many talking Beasts along the way including a lovely She-Leopard who was taking her three cubs out for a stroll. Edmund stopped to talk to her for a bit and ask after her family and I played with the cubs while they visited. The cubs were named Nips, Speck, and Fang and they were delightful and very well mannered Leopards indeed.

I bid them goodbye when Edmund came to get me and they bowed, in a very unusual bow that no one on my earth had ever seen and will never see again, and then ran off to their mother. I smiled as they went. Narnia was so magical…where else would a person talk to and play with a Leopard?

We rode on, chatting gaily about life back at Cair Paravel and he asked me what I thought of Narnia so far. I was not joking when I said it felt like home.

"So you think you'll stay?" Edmund asked as he ducked under a branch.

"I'll stay as long as you'll let me," I replied with a laugh as I ducked as well.

Edmund fell silent and I wondered what had made him do so. But I knew by now that when he was silent and thoughtful it was best to let him be so until he was ready to speak again. And I was right because pretty soon he turned his head to me and smiled.

"Well, I would be fine with you staying forever, I suppose," he said, sounding very genuine.

I looked at him funny, calculating his expression. It was just as serious as his words had been.

"Was that an invitation?" I asked.

"Yes," he replied simply. He turned COMPLETELY around in his saddle to look at me, bracing himself by placing his hands on the horse's rump. "You DO want to, right?"

I nodded furiously.

"Of course I do!" I replied, "But…even if I didn't, what could I do? It's not like I know how to get home."

Edmund looked thoughtful for a moment.

"It seems to me that I DO know how to get home," he said quietly, "But…I just can't seem to remember it."

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That night, we came to a halt right as we exited the woods. Edmund started a lovely roaring fire and I cooked up a fine dinner of venison and mushrooms. We ate in relative silence, both too hungry to speak around our chewing. Then when we had finished eating we fell into comfortable conversation and Edmund began showing me the constellations. We laid side by side as the sky grew darker and darker until finally my eyes got too heavy to stay open. I yawned and Edmund looked at me with a smile.

"Would you like me to lullaby you?" he asked quietly and I nodded in surprise. Yes, yes I would.

Edmund began to sing softly and smoothly, his lovely baritone voice soothed my tired mind. I smiled.

"You have a beautiful, voice, Edmund," I mumbled tiredly. I tried to stay away so I could hear him sing but the lullaby was doing its work and I slowly slipped into a deep slumber.

I didn't even hear Edmund whisper "Thank you," and I definitely didn't feel the kiss he pressed to my forehead before he retired as well.

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**You know something? I LOVE the mood Loreena McKennitt puts me in. Seriously…give her a listen.**

**There we are :D Review!**


	15. Shocking

**While I sit here watching West Side Story at 3 in the morning, I figured I should write some more :D**

**But when this is over I swear I'm going to bed!**

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When I woke up I was shivering. Gosh, who would have thought it could be so cold in the middle of summer! I sat up and my teeth started clicking together from my spasming body.

"Cold?" I heard Edmund's amused voice from behind me.

I whipped around to say something sarcastic but instead I found my jaw dropped and my eyes taking in a lovely sight.

Edmund was wearing only his dark brown hunting trousers. His black hair was soaked and hanging in his eyes and he had a towel hanging around his neck and I noted, sadly, that it hide his chest just enough to be annoying. But I didn't have time be annoyed because he then took the towel off his shoulders, ruffled his hair with it and then tossed it onto his saddle that was on the ground next to him. Oh my gosh…he was gorgeous. His shoulders were broad and his arms were well, yet lean, muscled. His chest was well defined and his stomach was flat and smooth. I smiled. I had never been big on six packs, I like flat. And the dark trail of hair than ran down it and into his trousers made me shiver aside from already being cold. Before I could stop myself, I whistled a long low whistle.

Edmund's eyes took on a very mischievous glint and a smile stretched from one corner of his mouth in a smirk. I blushed and I imagined it spread all the way down my body to my very toes. I was mortified at my blatant appreciation.

"Well now," Edmund's voice was teasing, "Nice to know all that hard work is paying off."

"Huh?" I asked stupidly.

"All the sword fighting and training," Edmund explained, "I didn't use to look like this. I was pretty scrawny."

"I…I, um…" Gosh! Why couldn't I get my words together?

Edmund shook his head with a smile and walked over to me. He knelt down and took my hands on his.

"Oh my goodness, girl!" his eyes widened. "You're hands are freezing!"

"I kn...kn…know!" I was shuddering violently. And it wasn't all due to the wind that blew suddenly.

"Hey, Nakoda," Edmund whispered softly, "Calm down, ok?"

I tried. I REALLY tried but he was so close, oh so close…I couldn't stop myself.

I grabbed his hair on the back of his head and I sat up quickly before he could grasp what was happening and claimed his lips fiercely. I heard him gasp in surprise and he tensed up, but I kept my lips working against his and I felt his muscles slowly unclench and he began to reciprocate. His hands slid up my arms and settled on my shoulders before they twisted into my hair just behind my ears. I forced my tongue between his lips and I felt him smile and then he laughed.

"Nakoda," he said softly, pushing me back so he could look at me. He was grinning. "You don't kid around, do you?"

"Huh?" I asked, confused. I wasn't cold anymore though…

"You forget that we come from different time periods…" he suggested, letting me stop to think about it.

"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry!" I realized what was wrong now. I had jumped the gun with my stupid tongue. Of course a boy from the 1940s would think that was moving WAY too fast.

"No no, don't be," he said with a grin. "I didn't mind, really. But…for the sake of propriety let's…let's get back on the horses so we can get going to the Western Woods."

I nodded. It probably was the best thing to do. He pulled a shirt on and threw his saddle on his horse so I got to work packing up and getting ready to go, inwardly chiding my overeager 21st Century brain.

XxXxXxXxXxXx

We rode along in silence. I kept turning over the morning in my mind and the more I thought about it, the angrier I got with myself. I had always sworn not to make the first move and now look…

"I'M SO SORRY!" I screamed suddenly. My horsed sidestepped nervously with a little squeal.

Edmund looked at me in alarm.

"Nakoda…I think you should calm down a little."

"I can't!" I moaned, "I feel like a colossal idiot!"

Edmund sighed and pulled his horse to a stop and dismounted, motioning me to follow suit. So I slid off my horse and walked over to him.

"Now," he said, crossing his arms. "What is it, exactly, that has you so worked up?"

"I shouldn't have kissed you like that! I shouldn't have at all but you were all...close and you're really very attractive and I just couldn't help it! I just wanted to…well I mean you were soaking wet and all muscled and hot…so I just thought that I would go crazy if I didn't do it so I did and I wish I hadn't because I feel like a complete jerk…"

Edmund was shaking his head in disbelief at how fast my words were flying out my mouth.

"But I kind of don't regret it because you're a really good kisser and you taste kind of good and I…"

"Nakoda!"

"WHAT?" I was hysterical by now.

"Shut up." He said this quietly as he uncrossed his arms and grabbed my shoulders. He pulled me roughly to him and our lips crashed together. I felt his teeth grip my bottom lip and my eyes widened. He practically assaulted my mouth as he held me tightly and I felt my head getting light until I felt his tongue slip in my mouth and I gasped. What was he doing? I tried to pull back but he held my head there with one hand and I felt him smile widely. Finally, he broke the kiss and let me go. I stumbled back and looked at him in amazement.

"Listen, Nakoda," he said breathlessly, "Now we're even. You know something? You honestly don't have to be so on your guard about offending me or whatever you keep doubting. I'm not as perfect as you think."

I was shocked. But he was right, I no longer felt like an idiot as I had before.

"I…thanks…I guess," was all I could say.

"You're welcome," Edmund laughed, "Now, can we get back on track and get this hunt underway?"

I nodded furiously and swung myself up onto my horse and set off at a trot, not waiting for Edmund. I had some thinking to do and I couldn't seem to focus when he was in my sights.

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**I honestly have no clue why I wrote this chapter…it's 4 in the morning…who knows. But I hope you like it anyway :D**

**Review and goodnight!**


	16. Snips and Snaps

**I woke up this morning and had to shovel my car out of like 4 feet of snow so I could move it. Heavy labor 5 minutes after you wake up…not fun.**

**Sonny13: HA HA HA! That would be awesome! Thanks for that suggestion and I'm already planning on how to work that in! I think I have it figured out ;) Oh and I live in Midwest America, Missouri to be exact so yeah…our time differences are crazy xD**

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By the time we reached the Western Woods I was saddle sore and my back was stiff. I was NOT use to riding this long whereas Edmund jumped right down with a smile when we reached the first clearing within the woods. He didn't look stiff or tired at all and it made me want to hit him.

I swung my leg over my horse's rump and very tenderly lowered myself to the ground, I walked a little bowlegged over to where Edmund was scouting out a good place to start a fire. He looked at me as I walked over with an amused glint in his eyes.

"You look a little…sore," he observed.

"You think?" I snapped, in no mood for his remarks.

He gave me a funny expression and I felt a little bad for snapping at him. I muttered that I was sorry and turned to go unload my horse. But I felt a hand on my shoulder and Edmund walked around me and gently pushed me back.

"I'll get your saddle off," he said as he turned to my horse, "Go walk around for a while and stretch out. But don't overexert yourself."

I protested, claiming that I could get the saddle off because my arms were fine.

"But I know for a fact your back isn't," Edmund countered, "Now for once in your life would you listen to me?"

I would probably have listened to him and gone off for a walk if he hadn't muttered under his breath: "Stubborn American." I whipped back around and decided to show him just HOW stubborn I could be. I pushed him roughly out of the way and bent over to reach the cinch on my saddle when…oh gosh…oh ow!

I couldn't move. My back was…locked. I heard Edmund sigh.

"You had to do it, didn't you?" he mumbled as he stood next to me. "You couldn't let it go?"

I wanted to cry. I felt ridiculous and I was in so much pain. So I did. Big fat tears felt into the dirt and my shoulders began to shake uncontrollably. I felt Edmund place a hand on my back and he knelt down beside me. He lifted my face to look at him and I saw that his eyes looked like he wanted to cry himself.

"Nakoda," he sighed, "I am so sorry! I honestly don't know why I always seem to treat you like this. You just…bring out my sarcasm like none other! Here, let me help you."

I gasped when I felt his hand splay out just below and between my…lady lumps and his other hand just above my butt.

"Edmund Pevensie! What the heck do you think you're…?"

_CRACK!_

I was suddenly standing perfectly straight, and I could move again. Oh…wow…ouch.

"Evening out the pressure," Edmund explained, "Please don't hit me!"

He said that because I had spun around ready to smack him for daring to touch me so inappropriately. But then I understood and relaxed.

"Sorry…" I said, feeling very much like a mean and grumpy old lady. "Thanks, Edmund. I really don't know what I would do without you."

His eyes seemed to brighten at that but I shrugged it off and turned to finish getting my saddle off now that I felt better. But Edmund got in front of me and blocked my way, his eyes were wide and he swallowed nervously.

"Nakoda," he started, and then had to clear his throat because his voice had jumped an octave. "Nakoda, I…I have something to admit to you."

"Yeah? That you're a chiropractor?" I asked, amazed at how good I felt since that back popping.

"A what?" he looked utterly confused but then shook his head, "Oh well, listen. I took you on this hunting trip because I wanted to get to know you better and…honestly to try and…I don't know, impress you I guess."

"Impress me?"

"Well, not like IMPRESS you, but I wanted you to see what I'm like away from my kingly duties but…I honestly didn't plan on being such a big jerk to you! Please don't think this is how I am."

"Edmund, I know you aren't," I replied. "You shouldn't have to try to be anything you aren't. Just be natural."

"But…I was trying…"

"TRYING," I said soothingly, Exactly. Edmund, I don't want you to TRY to be anything. I adore those little moments when the real you shines through. All this macho façade…it's annoying."

Edmund looked relieved.

"Well in that case," he said slowly, looking me straight in the eyes, "Nakoda…would you consider accepting my offer to…court you?"

My eyes widened and jaw dropped. Court? Like…old-fashioned dating? I looked at him in wonder. He started to look really scared and I closed my eyes for a second to think logically. I had always said that it would be wonderful if we still courted in my time…this was too good to be true!

"Oh…Edmund…" I hesitated and I saw him bite his bottom lip. "I would…be honored."

Edmund let out the breath he had been holding and began to chuckle which them turned into a happy, bright laugh and he grabbed me in a hug

"Oh my goodness you had me worried!" he said breathlessly. "I thought you were going to say no for a second!"

"It crossed my mind…but it didn't stay long," I giggled and returned his embrace. "So this whole hunting trip was a set up to get me alone?"

"Yeah…" Edmund looked sheepish but he smiled.

"You don't do anything in moderation, do you?" I teased.

"What's the fun in that?" he replied, giving me a sweet, short kiss. This courting thing…it sounded better and better every second.

**XxXxXxXxXxXx**

**There you go! I'm now going to run to Wal*Mart and buy some General Tso's Chicken from the deli! Mmmm, good writing food!**

**Next chapter coming soon! Reviews rock!**


	17. Dancing Like Crazy

**Ok, I'm back. Wal*Mart was CRAZY! People EVERYWHERE! Now I will not leave this house until I have to!**

**Oh, and my apologies, I mentioned that it was summer in the previous chapter…and that was a major falsehood. So ignore that.**

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

The hunting trip that wasn't actually meant to be a hunting trip turned out to be a great success. We bagged quite a lot of game and had to engage the help of a Donkey who was delighted to be of service to the King. He met us as we were field dressing a deer I had shot and he offered to bear our game back to Cair Paravel if he could be given a position there. Edmund gladly accepted the noble little Beast's offer.

We set out the next morning for Cair Paravel at an easy pace arrived several days later at the delight of the High King and the Queens.

Susan declared then and there to have a party that weekend in celebration of our return and, secretly, our courtship.

XxXxXxXxXxXx

I was trying to brush through the tangles in my hair but it just wasn't working! I mean, seriously, OUCH! I yanked and pulled and finally was satisfied I had gotten it all smoothed out. I looked in the mirror and sighed. I honestly didn't think I was anything too wonderful, but I walked over to my bed and slipped on the dress Lucy had laid out for me anyway. I eyed it with a smile and twirled around. It was a sky blue color with silver accents and it hugged me perfectly and showed just enough cleavage to still be modest but sexy at the same time. I smiled at my reflection and started dancing around by myself, humming my own tune.

I heard at knock at the door and composed myself before calling out for them to enter. It was Edmund.

"Wow, you look…" he said, shaking his head slowly with wide eyes and an adorable crooked smile, "You look really…good."

"Hmm, thanks," I replied with a smile. I looked him over. Gone were his hunting clothes that I was so use to and they had been replaced by a dark blue tunic and a silver robe. His silver crown was sitting crookedly on his head and I noticed his hair was actually laying flat and perfect. He looked…like a King and I found myself feeling a bit…unworthy of his escort.

"So do you," I replied.

"Yeah yeah, whatever," Edmund waved a hand of dismissal and rolled his eyes. "I HATE getting dressed up and Susan knows it. But she always insists on holding these annoying parties and invites all these annoying people and…"

"Plays annoying music?" I asked.

"No, no, the music is great. Mr. Tumnus always does a special song on his pipe…it's downright enchanting."

Edmund offered me his arm and I took it with a smile.

"Ok," he said with a chuckle, "Let's go, I suppose."

"Don't get so excited," I warned with a laugh, "You might hurt yourself.

"I just…really hate these stale parties of hers," he replied with a sniff of distaste. "Let's just get it over with."

I sighed sadly and nodded. He looked at me and his eyes got big.

"Oh Nakoda," he said quickly, "I didn't mean I won't enjoy your company or anything! I'm delighted to take you but…I just don't like the parties in general. AFTER it's over can we just take a walk or something?"

This is what I loved about Edmund, he was simple. Glitz and glamour weren't his thing.

"That sounds much better than a party to me," I smiled at him and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXx

The party was indeed a grand affair. Everything was bright and colorful and people were everywhere! The whole throne room was filled with dancing Narnians and foreigners alike. Edmund took a breath and plastered on a dashing smile as we passed through the doors. We were introduced by a herald and I blushed heavily, feeling so out of place. But before we could even make it all the way into the room I hear a voice call out my name.

"NAKODA?"

I whipped around. I KNEW that voice! It wasn't possible…was it?

"Drew?" my voice sounded tiny and I felt like I might faint.

Sure enough, there he was. My best friend from back home was standing right in front of me in very odd clothing. He came running up to me and grabbed me in a hug and we both laughed uncontrollably for a long time both asking how we had gotten here.

Apparently he had been in the library (Drew was a huge computer geek and had EVERY single electronic device ever created!) when the books on the shelf next to him had all just…flown off and he was pulled through a hole in the wall behind it and woke up in a desert where he had been found by the people he was here with, he called them Calormenes.

But our story was interrupted by Edmund's throat clearing next to me. He was standing with his arms crossed, eyeing Drew with suspicion and distaste.

"Who's your friend?" he asked darkly.

"Oh, Edmund this is Drew," I introduced him. "He's my best of friends from back in America…he got brought here around the same time I did. Drew, this is Edmund, KING Edmund that is."

They shook hands and Drew winced. I supposed Edmund had squeezed rather hard.

"Nice to meet you," Drew said with a pained smile.

"Likewise," Edmund's response was short.

At that moment Drew took me by the arm and looked at me excitedly.

"Nakoda I have a fantastic idea!" he whispered mischievously. He took from under his turban (yes, a turban) something I recognized immediately and squealed when I saw it. An Ipod! "You see, I figure this is a party right?"

"So why not PARTY?" I finished his thought! Oh boy this was going to be so much fun! I looked at Edmund and giggled, this was going to be a MAJOR culture shock for the poor guy. I looked back at Drew, "Can you rig this?"

"Is there anything I can't rig?" Drew asked with a wink and he slipped a backpack off his shoulders. "You forget, I was working in the library and I got pulled into this place with all my stuff. Solar chargers and all, and the desert is a PERFECT place for that!"

I laughed out loud with glee at what we were planning. This. Was. Going. To. Rock.

"Soulja Boy." Was all he had to say. I spotted a large space on the dance floor and started for it. I grabbed Edmund's arm and drug him with me, leaving him at the edge of the crowd.

"You want to know what my generation is like?" I said with a wink, "Just watch this!"

I stood with my head bowed in the middle of the dance floor, a smile on my face at what mayhem was about unfold. People began to form a circle around the area I was standing. Suddenly, the hall filled with the sound of the intro to the song Soulja Boy and I felt Drew join me by my side. We both jumped right in to the familiar dance of our time and I laughed at the looks we were receiving. But I paid careful attention to what I was doing so I could do the dance well. Many of the people around us looked terrified, some were enthralled, some were covering their ears, and a few had passed out. Mr. Tumnus, I saw, was tapping his hoof to the music.

When the song ended, I expected that to be it and we got several applause and cheers, but then another familiar tune began. The Cha Cha Slide. We started into that dance as well and tore it up. Then came the Cupid Shuffle.

Finally Drew ran and turned off the music and we took our bows to the crowd. They looked…so confused and terrified.

Well, I guess this was making the party less dull for Edmund.

"How'd you like the dancing?" I asked him as rejoined him on the edge of the crowd. I kissed him softly because he looked a little annoyed.

"Psh," he scoffed, I looked up to find him glaring at Drew, "You call THAT dancing?"

I was about to ask him what he meant, but he pulled me onto the dance floor and said a few words to Mr. Tumnus, who nodded and went to tell the musicians. I assumed he had told him the name of a specific tune.

When the music first started, it shocked me. It was louder than most Narnian music and much, much wilder. It reminded me of Bollywood music sort of. Then, before I could even judge the beat or rhythm, Edmund's hands took hold of my waist and pulled me flush up against him, he pressed his forehead to mine and I felt myself being tipped backwards in a dip. He then righted me quickly and I put my arms around his neck to steady myself. Oh goodness…this was like…a Narnian tango.

I knew I was in for something because Edmund's eyes were dead serious and he was looking at me with an intensity I had yet to see. I gasped as his hand gripped my thigh and lifted my leg up to his hip we were so close you couldn't fit a piece of paper between us I could feel…well…everything and I was blushing furiously. I found my top half bent over while our hips were still tightly pressed together and we spun around in a quick circle and then I was pulled back up straight. I felt myself getting into the rhythm and the movements and not to mention the sensual aspect of this entrancing dance. I began to reciprocate the movements and I placed my hands on his chest as we spun and dipped and twirled and finally, on the last drumbeat, I was lifted completely off my feet and my legs wrapped around his hips, our foreheads together and my arms around his neck, his hands supporting my weight by my hips.

We stared into each others' eyes and gasped for breath. We were both flushed and our hair was wild. The crowd was cheering loudly but it only sounded like distant rumbling as I looked into his dark, passionate eyes.

That was the best dance of my entire life.

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

**Ok so, new character, yes? I promise he's mostly there to create moments like these where he and Nakoda reminisce and cause chaos. But he does also have a part to play in the history of Narnia as well. He's not going to be a useless character.**

**Let me know what you think!**


	18. Time Is Up

**Sorry this took so long but my writing mood went out the window for a bit. But I'm back and I'm going to be starting a new story soon as well that I thought of this morning :D**

**So ok, this story is getting close to its end.**

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

I was sad to see Drew go back to Calormen but he said he had a feeling he would be back soon because the Tarkaan I work for mentioned something about returning for a meeting with the High King soon. So I hugged him goodbye and told him not to be a stranger and I stood waving as the Calormen visitors rode off to the south. Edmund stood beside me with his arms crossed, he wasn't watching the departing crowd, he was looking at me with a look of…I really couldn't place it.

I turned on his quickly.

"Edmund what is your problem?" I snapped, "You've been really quiet and sullen for the last three days, ever since the party."

He continued to look at me but his expression changed to annoyance.

"Are you honestly asking me this?" he questioned.

"Apparently," I replied stubbornly.

His eyes flicked to the cloud of dust that was the Calormen group and then back to me. He nodded towards the horizon.

"Who's that guy?"

Oh…so that was it? Jealousy! My handsome, thoughtful, kindhearted king of a…I guess we would call him a boyfriend, was jealous of my nerdy best friend? I began to laugh.

"I don't see what's so funny?" Edmund said darkly.

"Oh, Edmund!" I giggled, "Are you jealous?"

Edmund blushed slightly and looked away.

"No!" he denied sharply. "I'm not jealous. I'm NOT jealous!" He seemed to be trying to convince even himself.

I smiled and shook my head.

"Edmund Pevensie, your eyes are practically green!" I took his hand.

"WHAT!" he asked, looking completely freaked out. "What do you mean they're GREEN!"

I couldn't help it…I had to sit down I was laughing so hard. Oh my gosh why did he always make me bust a gut without even trying!

"Calm down, Ed!" I said breathlessly, "It's an expression! When someone is jealous we say your eyes are 'green with jealousy'!"

He calmed down and sat next to me on the railing of my balcony.

"Alright," he sighed, "I admit it. I…was."

I leaned my head on his shoulder and held onto his arm.

"Edmund you have no reason to be," I whispered.

"We're worlds apart, Nakoda," Edmund said quietly. "When I saw you two together it made me realize just…how little we have in common."

I looked at him in shock. Oh my goodness! He felt inferior to my friend?

"Edmund…"

I stood up so I could talk to him face to face.

"We may be worlds apart and we may not know the same things that the other does but we have two very important things in common: Aslan and…we love each other."

He smiled slightly.

"I know I love you, Nakoda," he replied, pulling me into a hug, "I'm sorry I'm such a 'jerk' sometimes."

I smiled. The word 'jerk' was brand new to his vocabulary but he used it correctly.

"Ed," I chuckled, "You may be a jerk sometimes, but you can't scare me away. I can see past your horrible acting."

I winked before kissing him softly and quickly, then I went back inside. He followed me and then bid goodnight as he left my room for his own.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXx

The next morning at breakfast, I noticed something about Edmund's demeanor was completely altered. He avoided my gaze all morning and his whole countenance was…like a kicked dog.

As I watched him go about his daily routine, even his sparring was off and he lost to his first and third opponents by making foolish mistakes that I KNEW he wouldn't usually make. He walked with a drag to his step and his head hung slightly no matter what he was doing. I was worried about him but he wouldn't speak to me about it. In fact, all he had said to me that day at all was "good morning" and "no thank you".

So I approached him after his last sparring match, which he had nearly lost, because I knew he would be too worn out to get away from me. He saw me coming and I saw his tired expression get slightly pained. He pulled off his armour and started putting it up, keeping his back to me.

"Edmund," I said sternly, as I stood there waiting for him to put it all away. "You're going to talk to me."

He turned around and I was shocked to find tears in his eyes.

"I know," he whispered, his voice was choked up, "Just give me some time to process what needs to be said."

Then he pushed me gently aside and walked away, leaving me more confused than I had ever felt in my life.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXx

I waited on pins and needles on the bench in the garden where Edmund could often be found talking to Aslan. He had sent me a message to meet him here and so I had gotten here early to calm my nerves before he arrived.

Finally, I heard the hedge being moved about and Edmund stepped through. He had a look of grim determination on his face and I bit my bottom lip to keep from speaking. I knew I needed to be silent and let him tell me when he was ready.

Finally, after much pacing and whispering to himself, he knelt in front of me and took both my hands in his. Oh my gosh…was he…?

"Nakoda," he began slowly, his voice barely a whisper, "You know I love you. You…you know that right?"

I nodded silently. Was this…a proposal?

"Good, good," he let out a shaky breath and his brown eyes dropped to the ground, "But that really doesn't make this any easier…"

"Edmund," I couldn't stop myself, "Are you…proposing?"

He looked at me like he would burst into tears at any second and then sucked in a deep breath.

"No," he replied sadly, "No…I can't do that."

Ouch. I felt a bitterness creep up my throat and a temptation to push him away and run came over me. But I wanted an explanation, so I didn't move.

"But it's not a matter of not wanting to, Nakoda!" Edmund's voice was so distraught that I wanted to hug him, but he pushed me away gently. "Aslan came to me last night. He…he told me you…you're going home soon. Very soon."

I gasped and put my hand to my mouth. Edmund then took that opportunity to pull me into a hug.

"He told me that we all have our own time and that we will all be returned to it eventually," he whispered, "Apparently no human from our world can stay here forever unless Aslan wishes. He said…he said I would be going back as well, but not anytime soon."

I just cried into his shoulder. I didn't want to go back! I didn't want to leave! I wanted him, I wanted Narnia, I wanted the life I had found!

How could Aslan send me back now?

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

**So, the end is near. I already have it written and so the chapters until then are all I have to do. It's going to be cute, I promise : )**

**Reviews make me smile!**


	19. All Of Me

**AHHHHH NOOOO! She's going back! We all knew this time had to come. I just thought it was time to stop before things became cliché ;) But I'll work on making the ending good!**

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

Every time I turned around I expected to see a great golden Lion telling me he was sending me away from his kingdom. Yes, I fully believed I would see him before it was my time to go and I had taken up Edmund's habit of talking out loud and silently to the Lion in prayers, begging him for understanding, acceptance, and more time.

I never heard a literal answer but I always felt somehow…stronger after these times in my own special spot I had found on the back of a gargoyle near my balcony. No one would think to look there and no one ever did and I could spill my guts to Aslan without worrying about anything. I enjoyed watching the sunsets from my spot and somehow…it felt like I was so close to Heaven I could taste it.

I still found it hard to accept though, and being around Edmund only made it worse. I made the most of the time we had and we often ended up what Edmund called a "compromising situation". Our favorite place for this was the library in the very late part of the night and the gardens. Our compromising situations were probably only going to make our separation harder but I just wanted to touch him, taste him, and hear him for as long and as much as possible.

And so one night I was sitting in the library, trying to read but failing, when Edmund walked in as usual. But tonight I was feeling exceptionally desperate for him and I didn't even give him time to get all the way in when I ran to him and grabbed his face in a needy, rough, and greedy kiss, I wrapped my leg around his hip and pushed him back into the wall. The way he tensed up at first told me how shocked he was but when he relaxed and began returning the kiss just as passionately, I thought maybe my plan would work out.

Tonight I had no intentions of stopping and so I mentally steeled myself and I started working my feminine charms. I kissed all the way from his collarbone up to his ear and whispered how much I loved him, wanted him, needed him and I rubbed my hips into him and felt, with satisfaction, that he felt the same way, if you, ahem, know what I mean. I grinned and, wrapping my arms around his neck jumped up and wrapped both legs around his hips, my own hips rolling back and forth expertly. I felt him gulp nervously and I pulled back to look him in the eyes. They were so dark with desire they looked almost black and I felt the knot below my stomach tighten. But, as I looked at them, the expression in them shifted…to disbelief.

I felt his hands on my stomach, pushing me away. So I dismounted his waist and stood there looking at him in confusion.

"Why not?" I whispered sadly.

He ran a hand over his face and leaned back into the wall. He raised onto his tip toes a few time, I had no idea that was a technique for relief until now, and then he sighed heavily as he looked at me with a pained expression.

"Nakoda…we can't," he whispered in reply, his voice was deep and husky and I knew how hard this was for him. "I'm…I'm a King of Narnia and I can't afford to get caught in a…"

I waited for him to find the word, but he shook his head sadly.

"No…" he said slowly, "It's not even that…it's more than that. I'm a follower of Aslan and his will is my law. You aren't staying, Nakoda and there is no way I could justify letting this happen."

"Justify…" I muttered. King Edmund the Just, I remembered his title. "Justify it because of the fact that if I can't have you forever I can at least have you now, even if we don't have much time."

"That just makes it worse," Edmund shook his head and looked off to the side. "Nakoda…please, can we not part on such a…bad note?"

"A bad note?" I growled, "You're rejecting me and you think you're getting the worse end of the deal?"

He moved quicker than I thought possible and I felt his hands close tightly, but not cruelly, on my shoulders. He was looking at me with such intensity that I wanted to shrink into the floor.

"Do you think this is EASY for me?" he hissed, "Do you think I WANT to reject you? Nakoda, I don't! Please, don't accuse me of not loving you because I DO!"

I was silent. What could I say? I realized now how irrational I had been. What had I expected him to do, in the end? Because THIS was why I loved him so much, he was a man of honour, truth, and honesty. Had I expected him to bend those morals for one night and a scandalous swing?

"Edmund," I whispered in the darkness of the library, "Please forgive me. I…I just wanted as much of you as I can get…I was…completely wrong."

Edmund chuckled.

"Not completely wrong," he teased, "It's not like we both wouldn't want to have that. But…I just can't. But…"

He took my hand and led me to the big, huge, fluffy, couch I loved so much and made me lie down gently, then he climbed onto the couch behind me, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me close, length to length completely together. I felt his heat spread through my whole body and I felt completely and totally relaxed for the first time since I had been told of my impending departure.

"This I can offer you," he continued his long forgotten sentence that now came back to me. "I can't give you all of me, physically…but I can give you all of me in a different way. I love you, and know that you are the only girl who has heard those words from my lips."

His words warmed me much more than his close proximity and I felt a peace flood my heart.

"Your sisters?" I questioned with a giggle.

"Totally different context," he mumbled into my neck, making me shiver.

"Just so you know," I countered, "You're the only boy who ever heard these words from me also. I love you, Edmund Pevensie."

And so we stayed and fell asleep in that very position. Neither of us knew his siblings stood by the doorway the next morning looking at us with sad, but smiling faces.

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

**There's another chapter, the next one will be the last chapter in Narnia and then there will be two more after that from Nakoda's view on life when she returns.**

**3 more chapters. Then I'm going to start a new one and finish "The Times In Between".**

**Let me know what you think!**


	20. Goodbye For Now

**Ok, I was taking a shower and the whole ending just popped into my mind so I'm attempting to write it all tonight for you…we shall see if this happens. If not, I'll have it up tomorrow or Monday!**

**Here goes!**

**XxXxXxXx**

It was today. I felt it in my very bones when I woke up in Edmunds arms. Tears sprang to my eyes when I realized my time in Narnia was almost up for good.

I sat up and Edmund stirred behind me and I felt his arms wrap around my neck playfully and he pulled me back into his chest.

"Where are you headed, love?" he said, his accent especially thick in his state of newly awoken state. I knew that the British accent would haunt me forever when I went home…

"Home."

It was all I had to say because the way he stiffened up told me he felt the dread as well.

"So soon?" he whispered, to himself but out loud.

I sniffed away a tear and stood up quickly. There was no use moping around. So we went down for breakfast and sat there in the gloomy dining room. Peter, Lucy and Susan were feeling the odd cloud that hung over us all as well.

Suddenly, there was a hullabaloo in the great hallway to Cair Paravel and we all jumped to our feet at the dining room as the big wooden doors swung open. I clapped my hands to my mouth at the scene before me. My friend Drew was being dragged by two burly Fauns into the room and was thrown unkindly to the floor where he raised himself up on his hands and knees and looked pleadingly at Edmund.

I didn't wait for anyone to act, I ran to him and embraced him and sought an answer to why he was here and why he was so dirty and why he was hurt and why the guard were treating him this way.

"Nakoda," Edmund's voice was deadly serious and I felt his strong arms pulling me back from Drew. I tried to fight him off but he didn't budge.

"Edmund, what are you…?"

"Hush," Edmund shushed me, sharply. "Let him speak."

Drew's eyes met Edmund's and he stood to his feet.

"Your Majesties," he addressed all the royals and then spoke directly to Edmund, "I have come to bear you news of Calormen's deceit! I was sent to the Tisroc's rooms to take him his meal for the night and I heard them speaking of Narnia. My interest was piqued of course because I now knew who the Narnians were so I stopped by the door and listened. And that's when I heard his plan."

Peter and Susan exchanged glances like they weren't shocked. More like a…'I knew this would happen' look.

"He has ordered an invasion of your lands, sir," Drew continued, "They were to dispatch that very day. He had been planning this a long time, apparently. I managed to compose myself and entered the room when the conversation changed to less dangerous things, gave him his meal and went back to seemingly do my duties. But when I was sent for well water I grabbed a horse and ran away. Please, you must prepare yourself for battle!"

"Why should we trust you?" Edmund's voice was cold, and I knew that this was the king he was known to be. The quiet, dangerously careful one. "You're a Calormen yourself."

Drew's glance shifted to me.

"No, I am not," he replied to Edmund, "I was until I realized what Narnia was. Nakoda told me all about it that night of the dance. I felt like I would love to be a part of Narnia and I saw the wonderful people who lived here and I knew that I was making the right choice in choosing to side with you."

So this was it. This was why we had been brought here. If I had not been here to speak to Drew, to become a part of Narnia and convey my love of it to him, no one would have suspected this attack and no one would have been here to warn them. And at that moment, I felt…complete.

The wooden doors swung open again and we all turned at once to see the new arrival. There was no mistaking that face…those eyes that I had seen on every wall of every room in Lucy's stenciled drawings…the Great Lion himself, Aslan.

We immediately fell to our knees and the Lion blew a breath across us all and I felt strong and brave and I stood to my feet before anyone else. I found those eyes terrible and wonderful all at once and I felt like…I had known them forever.

"Daughter," the deep rumbling voice said, "Well done. And well met."

I nodded. I felt there was nothing I could say to him. The others finally rose and there was not much to do but start saying goodbyes. I hugged Lucy and Susan and gave Peter a kiss on the cheek. I would never forget their kindness to me and all they had taught me over my time here. But when I came to Edmund and saw the pain in his eyes, my heart broke and we both clung to each other in tears.

I didn't want to let go, but I felt the heaviness of Aslan's paw on my back and I reluctantly broke our embrace.

"This is harder than I ever imagined," Edmund whispered as he backed up too. I nodded.

"Yes," I agreed, "Much, much harder."

"Sons and Daughters," Aslan's voice was like a gust of wind, "This is only a parting, not a final farewell. You must believe this. Now, Drew and Nakoda, it is time for you to return to your own land to do what I have prepared ahead of you."

And I felt, at that moment, like I was ready to face my world again. I was ready to put to use the skills and the knowledge I had acquired and to face, unafraid, the obstacles it would bring my way. So, with one last kiss to those sweet, full lips of the boy I barely knew yet loved more than anyone I had ever known, I stood next to Aslan and whispered, "I'm ready."

The Lion's breath covered me and the Dining hall began to fade.

"Look me up in about 60 years!" I called as the forms of my friends began to fade and I saw Edmund give me a thumbs up.

And then…I lifted my head and felt a sharp pain shoot through my body. Something wet was all over my face and it was really bright…OW!

"KODA!" the sweet sound of my little brother's voice made me sit up despite the sharp pains and I wanted to laughed when I saw his bright eyes looking at me with happiness.

"Careful, honey!" my mother's voice was just as sweet to my ears.

"Mom, what happened to me?"

"Leroy drug you about 4 blocks and you must have gotten caught on something because your leg was broken," my mother replied, "But thank god you didn't go into the ditch!"

That's when I realized the wetness on my face was Leroy's slobber. Yes, my faithful companion was right by my side like always. I was home and I felt…like I belonged here.

XxXxXxXxXxXx

Life went back to normal, but I never quite did. I drew pictures of Fauns and Centaurs and my walls began to look like Lucy's had. One great pencil sketch of two great Lion eyes were over my headboard and I never tired of looking at them. I rode horse whenever I had the chance and everyone was impressed with my skills. I took up fencing.

Leroy and I still walked everyday but I never used a leash anymore. Leroy was no pet. He never spoke again, but when I looked at his eyes they were not the same dull orbs they use to be. They were intelligent and I always wondered if he simply thought it best if he didn't speak to me even if he could. But we communicated through touch and looks and that was enough for us both.

Drew and I talked often of our times in the other world and started attending church regularly where we found peace and comfort. I knew why Aslan had seemed so familiar now…because I already knew him in my world.

As the years went on, I discovered my love for history and for words could make me a career so I majored in Journalism in college and became a writer for the History Channel on television. I quickly rose to a high position and was often sent on trips around the world to scout out stories.

Life was good. But Narnia never left my mind and neither did a certain boy whose face still consumed my dreams at night. And I was right, British accents always made me smile sadly.

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**Two more chapters! Almost there.**

**Reviews rock!**


	21. Looking Back

**Almost there…this ending is going to be awesome if it works out of my mind right.**

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I was asked to do a story for the History Channel. I could choose any topic I wanted. Guess what I chose? WWII.

So I started my research at the library with Drew who was still my closest friend. I was digging through old books and journals when I came upon a particularly mind jolting one. It was a journal entry in a book about the British 8th Army by a Private just before the attack on Venice, Italy. It read:

_I'm sitting here with my gun against my shoulder as usual chatting about the attempt on Venice in the morning with the boys. Pevensie seems to think it won't be such a hard thing to do, but he's never worried about anything! I'm worried though…_

I didn't bother reading any more. I slapped the book shut and hugged my knees. It could be a crazy coincidence, I told myself but then Drew approached me carefully with two articles he ahd printed off the computers.

"Nakoda…" he began quietly, "I think you need to see these."

He handed me one and my eyes nearly popped out of my head. There he was, in full fledged British WWII uniform, standing straight backed saluting his commanding officer. I tried to blink away the tears that were threatening my eyes so I could read the words under the picture:

_Private Edmund Pevensie, a young man who was so eager to join the military that he lied about his age and, using the identity of a relative, enlisted, was a member of the 8__th__ Army and was present in the offensive attacks in Italy in believe that Private Pevensie's age would not have been revealed if he had not been injured during an attack in Venice on April 29th where he became an instant hero to many men and, in all honesty, the Empire its self._

_During this attack on Venice, the young Pevensie was among the first to move into the city. Soldiers who were in that battle alongside the lad said he was very calculating in his methods and seemed to be able to spot snipers like it was nothing. He was also known for having odd feelings when something was about to go wrong; a sixth sense, some claimed._

_During this attack, Private Pevensie states, "I just felt like something was off, like…on our account. Like we weren't suppose to be here." So he says he looked around and tried to spot anything out of the ordinary when he spotted a single, solitary man with a small box in his hands. "I didn't think," Pevensie said, "I just…knew." So he carefully made his way back to where the boats had landed for the attack and found his commanding officer. He warned him of what he had seen and begged the Colonel to hold back the troops and not send anymore in. His reputation was obviously spotless because the Colonel halted all advances and sent Pevensie ahead to call a retreat. Pevensie ran back into the line of fire and called the retreat signal. But, before they could fall back, a chain of explosions were set off, killing a vast majority of the first wave of troops. _

_Pevensie was thought lost with the others but everyone was astounded when he emerged from the smoke with two wounded soldiers slung over his back. He collapsed right at the feet of the Colonel in charge and was immediately treated for a bullet in his lower back and multiple burns and shrapnel wounds._

_The troops that had been held back rushed into the city and took it as a victory for the Allies. The Colonel who had made the call to hold them back was promoted._

_He was given many awards for valour and was even honoured by the Royal Family as a war hero. He was, of course, removed from service. But it was an honorable discharge and he stated later: "I am glad to have served for even that small amount of time I managed to fool you."_

Oh Edmund! I should have known he would have done something like this! Crazy, crazy boy! I felt pride swell up inside me for my old friend…or whatever we became. And I gazed wishfully at the picture, it didn't do his dark eyes justice, but even through black and white photographs they managed to almost shine. And the jacket he was wearing in that photo was the same one that was carefully folded in my drawer at home. I felt a tear run down my face when I realized just how long Aslan had had this plan in place.

I looked up at Drew with a smile.

"Drew…we have to find them!" I said, my excitement bubbling up. They could still be alive! "They got back from Narnia! They went back to their own time! Let's find them!"

Drew, however, didn't look thrilled. He shook his head slowly and handed me the other paper he held with wide and pained eyes.

The picture was of a train station, a small outdoor one. But it was not a pretty sight. The station was a pile of rubble and there were three train cars visible all crunched together and tangled in the wood of the once-train station. Cold horror shot through my mind and I found my hands shaking as my eyes lowered to the words under the picture.

_British Railway Accident, 1948. Nearly 500 lives claimed._

_The train had failed to brake properly while rounding a curve near the station and careened off the tracks and into the station, killing nearly all passengers on the train and all of the boarders waiting on the platform. Included in the victims accounted for were a few well known names of the time. Professor Digory Kirk who was a very prestigious and well liked man known for his impressive art collection and donations to the war effort was among those killed as well as the young military hero, Edmund Pevensie. Kirk had been a passenger on the train while Pevensie, his oldest brother and his youngest sister had been on the platform. Many say that Pevensie was catching a train to the docks to ship over to America where the President had wanted to present him with a medal. However, his oldest sister assured us he never told them anything about such a rumor. Susan Pevensie, the only surviving relative now resides in…_

But I couldn't read another word. No…it couldn't be…it COULDN'T! I collapsed into a sobbing heap on the library floor and I didn't care how many people looked at me or shushed me. I felt Drew's arms wrap around me but I found very little comfort in them. They were so young…they had been so young.

It was like losing them all over again.

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**Mmmm, sad, I know. I decided there will be 2 more chapters. So I'll get to work!**


	22. You Have To Know

**Ok, almost there! And it's almost 4 A.M again…**

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I didn't want to accept it, but I had no choice. I went home without really knowing how I got there. Nothing seemed to matter.

I stumbled into my bedroom and pulled the clothes out and threw them all over until my eyes rested on the item I was searching for. The army jacket.

I pulled it out and held it tightly to me. I buried my face in it and was shocked when I smelled…him. It was heavy with that scent I remembered well. I couldn't stop the tears, they had been falling since I read the article, and I slipped my arms into the jacket and imagined I was back in Cair Paravel, wrapped in the very arms that used to occupy these sleeves.

I lay down on my bed and cried myself to sleep.

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So…I decided to do my story on, you guessed it, Private Edmund Pevensie. So I presented the idea to my boss and he was thrilled. He gave me a round trip ticket to London. When I asked why, he told me to speak to his only surviving relative, Susan Pevensie.

To say my heart felt like flying would be an understatement! I was going to see Susan! But when the plane landed and I looked out into the rain that was pouring on the city, my heart sunk. Susan…must be miserable. She lost her whole family and I was here to pour salt on old wounds.

But I threw back my shoulders and braced myself as I rang the doorbell of the large mansion that was Susan Pevensie's home. A young maid answered the door and told me I was expected and took my coat. She then ushered me to a large drawing room where I was to sit while she fetched Susan.

I looked around at the bright room. It was well lit and all the furniture was white with red and gold accents. Nothing really caught my eye until I saw two things: one was a large wardrobe against the wall next to one of the rather large windows and the second was a glass display case that stood at one end of the room. I went over to it to see what lay in it and I bit back a squeal of shock. In that case were things I never dreamed I would see again. A sword, not Peter's sword he always had, but a very Narnian sword, a book which I recognized immediately as Edmund's favorite book on the history of the 100 Years Winter, and…Lucy's drawings. The great face of Aslan peered up at me from under the glass.

"So you DO remember," a voice said very softly from behind me. I whipped around and gasped.

She was so old. She was leaning on a cane and her back was bent. Her hair was pure white and her skin was leathery and wrinkled. But her eyes, grey and beautiful still, shone at me with the joy of a shared secret.

"Oh, Susan!" I cried and embraced her.

"Nakoda, I thought you'd never come!" Susan said happily. "When I heard you were coming, it did this old heart a lot of good."

This was not what I had expected and I was so glad that I was wrong. But my heart was also aching at the sight of all these Narnian things. Memories of what had been.

Susan invited me to sit down and we talked for hours about adventures in Narnia that I had not heard of before. Apparently they had all gone back again and Lucy and Edmund yet again! I listened to them and it felt almost like I was there again and when the maid brought in tea I half expected her to be a Faun! But the hours passed too quickly and I had to speak to her about my story. Her eyes dimmed when she told me all I need to know for my story but the spark was never quite gone.

When I was done with the questions, I was sad to say goodbye yet again and Susan made me to stay for a few moments longer. She led me to the case and pointed out each thing inside.

"Peter gave me sword right after we came back the last time he and I went, he had it designed specially. The runes in it say "Once a Queen, Always a Queen"."

I eyed the sword lovingly, remembering Peter's face and his beautiful personality.

"This book is, of course, Edmund's favorite read in his whole library," Susan went on. "He wrote this in his own hand, word for word, from memory. And he had it bound specially to look just like the original."

Of course he had, I mused. Edmund…how I missed him. He always was one to take the time to make anything he did for you special.

"And…Lucy's drawings," Susan's voice got quiet. "Lucy drew all the time after she got back from Narnia the last time. She and Edmund and Eustace…all of them drew. These are all signed by them and each one was given to me with great hopes."

She got very silent and I wondered what was on her mind. She looked back up and then motioned for me to follow her to the wardrobe.

"This is…how it all started," she said as we gazed at the large, intricately carved piece of furniture. "You know the story, of course."

Yes. I knew it very well.

"Susan," I finally asked, "Why…are you showing me this? You seem like you want to tell me something."

Susan looked at me with eyes full of tears.

"I wanted someone to know," she said, her voice full of pain and regret. "Someone needed to know that I never forgot. I always believed. I just took my eyes off of what was real for my own vanity and pride. I never told them the truth. The truth that I never stopped believing in Narnia, in Dwarves and Centaurs and Fauns and Talking Beasts, in Aslan…or in them."

I pulled Susan tightly into a hug. How heavy this burden must be!

"Someone needs to know!" she sobbed into my shoulder.

"Susan," I replied, "They did know. Of course they did, or they wouldn't have given you these things and expected you to keep them. Trust me…they knew."

I left that night feeling richer than I ever had, even for all the money I made at my job. I left with two great stories, one for the show and one for my own memory, a Pevensie family photo album, a sword, a book, and a scrapbook full of pencil drawings by three very wonderful artists…but I also left with a greater faith in Aslan than ever before.

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**Almost there!**


	23. Starting Over

**4 A.M. but this is it….here goes.**

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I got the news that Susan had passed away that very next year and that she had chosen to auction off the things in her house but she had saved back some things just for me. So I hopped on the first flight to London.

When I arrived, the house was bustling with people from all over the world. Antique collectors, Real Estate dealers, and all sorts of others.

The maid found me and brought me into the room that had been Susan's bedroom but was now bare of all furniture since it had sold. Susan had left me a small collection of things including an old fashioned flashlight (which made me laugh and cry at the same time), a picture of a ship that looked very Narnian indeed (although not the same picture that Lucy, Edmund, and Eustace had been pulled through), a collection of books that had been written by her siblings and her (including one she had written full of the stories she had told me while I had visited) and a dress that I knew had come straight from Narnia it's self although I don't know how. I held the items with tears in my eyes and them had them taken to the limo that had brought me from the airport.

I slipped on my jacket, yes the military jacket I cherished, and prepared to head to the limo myself but…something made me turn around and venture to the living room which was empty but for one single soul. And my heart jumped into my throat.

The one person in this room was medium height with a decent build and dark hair that stuck up, untamed. But…it couldn't be…could it?

I approached slowly and the figure turned slowly. At first I swore I was seeing Edmund again but then the eyes caught mine and my heart fell back into my chest. Blue eyes stared back at me…obviously not Edmund's. But this stranger was rather attractive anyway.

"I'm…sorry," I mumbled when he looked at questioningly, "You…looked like someone I use to know."

"Then he was a lucky man indeed," was the reply, a voice I liked immediately. The accent was a very thick Irish brogue. I smiled.

"Well…we both were then," I replied. He laughed a very lovely laugh and then turned his eyes back to what he had been so intently looking at before. The wardrobe.

"This wardrobe," he said in a confused tone, "No one seems to want it yet…I feel drawn to it for some reason. Is that odd?"

I stood next to him and looked at the wardrobe with unbridled fondness.

"No," I replied, "Not at all because I feel the same way about it. It's…special to this family. I knew Susan from a long time ago and she spoke of this wardrobe often. I guess…it means something to me as well."

The man looked at me and I saw something in his eyes that I liked immediately.

"Then, mystery girl, allow me to offer it to you as a gift," he said cheerfully. "For I purchased it just before you came in."

"Oh, no I couldn't let you do that!" I replied, shocked.

"But I insist," he said, "For it means nothing to me as it does to you. Please, Miss…?"

"Nakoda," I replied quietly.

"Miss Nakoda," he finished.

"I don't know how to thank you," I said in awe as I gazed at the wardrobe.

"How about you go with me to dinner tonight?" he asked with a smile.

I almost said no immediately but something happened then that must have been Aslan's paws. I stuck my hands in my pockets out of nervousness and I felt the crinkle of paper. I pulled it out and nearly cried out when I opened it and saw Edmund's handwriting.

_Nakoda,_

_I know this jacket will belong to you someday because you definitely had it with you in Narnia. Time is a strange thing when Aslan uses it, huh? But since you'll get this someday I want you to know I will always love you but by the time we meet again I'll be like 80 years old and that's just…gross. So I want you know that I don't want you waiting on me or feeling guilty or any…crap, as you would say, like that. Oh, and remember, you will always be a Narnian so act like one! _

_All my Love and Devotion in one little piece of paper,_

_Edmund_

I smiled and then glanced up at the dashing Irishman who was awaiting my reply about dinner. Well…I had nothing to lose and a whole lot to gain…

"I would be delighted," I gave my answer, "Mr…?"

"Edward," was the reply and I smiled widely. What a coincidence.

"I would be delighted, Edward."

Then something happened that made me feel like I really was a Narnian again, Edward told me the time and told me he would pick me up, then he took my hand and gently pressed his lips to my knuckles. Yeah…this guy was a keeper.

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**TA DA! Thank you all so much for reading and I hope this ending was all you hoped!**

**Let me know your thoughts on it and be watching for my next story coming soon!**

**LOVES YA'LL!**


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